If I were going to change something about my hiking experiences, it would be discovering Crystal Lake much sooner. Located northeast of St. Maries, this lightly trafficked, dog-friendly trail was the perfect weekend trip that I would make again in a heartbeat.
In the last dredges of summer, the trail is lined with late-blooming vegetation like the hot pink fireweed and ruby-colored Indian Paintbrush, all mixed in with the deep green of high alpine firs and the various shades of granite.
The views reached out for miles, showing off the expansive mountain range which makes up the St. Joe Mountains. The trail leads hikers across five rock slides, through a couple of small creeks and around a large rock outcrop before suddenly leveling out into a small bit of forest and dropping you at the edge of the lake.
While that sounds like a lot, the trail was relatively easy to hike. AllTrails has it labeled as “moderate”, but I thought it was much easier. The out-and-back trail is short, measuring only 2.8 miles, and there is only about 650 feet of elevation gain over that distance.
Going in, the beginning of the trail was the steepest portion and my hiking poles were an asset when it came to maneuvering down the uneven granite steps. After about the first half mile, it generally evened out and was easy enough to walk on that a toddler could do it.
The campgrounds were nice and flat, surprisingly absent of rocks and were just a few steps away from the edge of the lake. For a cheap dinner you don’t have to pack in yourself, bring a fishing pole and cook up some fresh trout from the lake with some butter and seasonings.
The most difficult part of the trail, which wasn’t hard at all, was crossing the rock slides because many of the rocks on the trail were unstable. Slipping or twisting an ankle is more of a possibility there than hiking on the dirt path, so some extra care in your step is necessary, particularly when carrying a loaded pack.
On the way back out, I met a large group who had been out riding four-wheelers. All of them were wearing some sort of sandals; Crocs, Birkenstocks, slides and Tevas were all present. Though I can’t say I recommend wearing sandals on a hike with that many rocks, the group was definitely able to complete it.
What I do recommend is bringing along plastic bags or trash bags. While the trail itself wasn’t terribly busy, it was obvious the lake was a popular destination by the amount of traces left by previous visitors.
The lack of practice in “leave no trace” principles was the only disappointing part about this hike. On my way out, I had filled two plastic bags with the leftover cans and bottles ditched in a firepit and brought them back to St. Maries to throw them away.
I also recommend driving a vehicle with four-wheel-drive to the trailhead. The last eight miles of the drive to the trailhead consisted of a rocky dirt road and, while I was able to make it in my front-wheel-drive sedan, I would have preferred to have a vehicle with better traction and clearance.
If I wasn’t forced to drive so slowly on the rough road, the time it took to travel the last stretch would have been a 1.5 hour drive rather than a 2.5 hour drive.
Despite the negative traces of other people at the campground and the rough road to the trail head, this was the best trail to a lake I’ve found so far for a quick overnight trip to the wilderness. The views and relaxation made everything worth it. I rate this trail 8/10.
Anteia McCollum can be reached at [email protected]