Nothing like a Thursday afternoon in January up in Moran State Park. It was an amazingly still day, cool and damp, but no precipitation. We hiked around Mountain Lake and up to Twin Lakes. The road up to Mt Constitution was closed due to snow and ice at the top. We opted not to hike from Twin Lakes up to the summit of Mt. Constitution. Left the traction devices at home.

A flat hike on beautiful Mount Constitution, more secluded than Cascade Lake at the bottom of the mountain. Mountain Lake is a nice side-trip and a chance for a little exercise if you took the easy way up the mountain. We saw no one on the trail on this rainy Monday. It's a loop trail about four miles around the lake, though we didn't make it all the way around with our toddler. The trail is a little muddy in this wet weather, but still very hike-able in sneakers. We saw a few big trees leaning at scary angles, but nothing blocking the trail. To reach the trailhead, drive up Mount Constitution and turn at the fork in the road signed Mountain Lake. Park at the first large parking area or follow a short one-lane dirt road to a smaller parking area at the trailhead. A pit toilet is available there. A sign on the dirt road says "no parking" with an arrow pointing down the road - it must mean no parking on the road, because there are parking spaces at the end. Don't forget your Discover Pass.

My boys and I headed over to Orcas yesterday to do some exploring around the Mountain Lake area. We took the trail from Mountain Lake up to Twin Lakes and back, as we didn't have enough time to continue on to the summit of Mt. Constitution. The trails are in fine shape except for a few drainage issues and some easy to negotiate muddy/water spots. It's a lovely walk. The most noteworthy thing about the walk to those familiar with the San Juan Islands is that it has some of the largest native forest anywhere in the county. It appears to be an unlogged, climax forest. There are towering doug firs and in some places, much to my delight and surprise, areas of very large and mature Western Hemlock. The red cedars are also impressive, at least for the islands. So for forest lovers, this is a great hike. The walk along Mountain Lake is nice enough, and the walk around Twin Lakes is fine too. No views out or around, but quiet and simple. From Mountain Lake to Twin Lakes is just a bit more than 2 miles. My two boys, 5 and 9, ran and played the whole way up and down. It's an easy family walk. An hour each way is plenty of time.

The trails of Moran State Park on Orcas Island are perfect for the family or dog-lover. There are lots of easy options which can quickly add up to a full day of walking. We walked around the South side of Cascade Lake, which is a pleasant forest walk to a bridge; the walk around Mountain Lake is longer but more secluded; the top of Mount Constitution is popular, but has one of the nicest sunrise/sunset views in the state of Washington; the trail to Cascade Falls is very easy and short, but there's lots of fun stuff for the kids to do, including walking under the falls and climbing on fallen trees. On the other hand, the hikes on Turtleback Mountain were mostly disappointing - lots of bland forest walking with tons of stinging nettles intruding on the path. One more note - while almost everyone swims in Cascade Lake, Mountain Lake is actually warmer and much more pleasant.