East Bank Ross Lake — Wednesday, May. 29, 2019

hiked half of the east bank trail of ross lake, from the trailhead on Hwy 20 to lightning creek ~16mi.


slight misnomer: the trail does wind along the east bank of ross lake, but does not quite offer unobstructed views of the lake and opposing shoreline. peek-a-boo glimpses of the mountains across the lake, flashes of water, mixed with inland stretches of foliage, capture the consolation prize. one short stretch between rainbow point camp and devil's junction camp skirts the edge of the lake, offering the most dramatic vistas.


as for the trail, it's relatively flat, ideal for beginner packpackers or an early season jaunt. decent water access, with the trail crossing multiple creeklets. the worst crossings boast a bridge or tree log, never fear. only one crossing warrants mention: the trail crossing with roland creek, right before roland creek campsite. this requires fording. or if you are particularly water-averse, head upstream to find a logjam that can be clambered over. only a few blowdowns, easily traversed.


mosquito season beckons, but the mosquitoes' ferocity varies with the location. some parts of the trail were skeeter-free, others populated by a small cohort (honestly, they weren't that bad, i didn't use any mosquito repellent, but i definitely got multiple bites). 


wanted to day hike from lightning creek camp up to desolation peak and the fire lookout, but the lightning creek campsite lived up to its name, ushering in a thunderstorm and enough lightning to deter me. desolation trail does seem less maintained, since i encountered relatively more blowdowns on the trail before the thunder/lightning aborted my attempt.


plentiful camping sites, mostly empty on a spring weekday. only ran into 2 other backpacking groups during my journey. part of this might be due to the recreational watercraft ban for ross lake, due to the low water levels