Blanca Lake — Monday, Aug. 25, 2025

Started late in the morning on a Monday, around 11 AM, luckily before it got too hot in the highlands.  Only 4 or 5 other cars in the lot.  There's a 2 mile dirt/gravel road to get to the parking lot that takes some care to navigate (some potholes are present) but was fairly easy without a 4x4/AWD.  The first third of the trail is difficult due to the elevation gain - approximately 800 ft/mi for almost 3 miles, with plenty of switchbacks and tree roots to deal with.  The descent into the lake and the climb back out are much easier, though.  Keep an eye out for trail-side blueberries.  The lake is a great reward - it is enormous and particularly colorful due to glacial flour with a opaque greenish hue.  I lost a pair of sunglasses in the shallows - let me know if you find them!