06/08/2024
A last minute change of plans found us out at Lake of the Horns, out of the Cat Creek recreation area. My first time in the area, and its very pretty. And very busy.. Saw more people hiking in on Sunday then I've seen on trail in the last 5 years combined. Thankfully, we were hiking in when most were leaving, and we had a beautiful camp spot to ourselves.
We opted to set up down in the valley, and day hike up to the lake for dinner. We took the more direct route up to the lake, and it wasnt bad at all. Steep in spots, but it went by rather quickly. The last section up the headwall is what gets listed as the difficult scramble portion, but it wasn't really difficult at all. There is flagging marking a few different routes up, and they are very very easy to follow. The route to the right as you look up towards the lake didn't require any hands on, and the dogs made it just fine with no assistance.
The lake is small, but quite pretty. We were fortunate to show up just as the last of the groups camped there were leaving. We were told 20 ish people camped there the night before, which is mind boggling to me, as its not a big spot at all.. We heard the fishing was very good.
As we heated up water and started rehydrating our dinner, dark clouds and rain came in, so we headed down and enjoyed our dinner walking the hill of the flowers route on the way down. This is longer then the direct route, but well worth it, as it makes for a more gradual descent, and the wild flowers are outstanding. The skies opened up and dumped on us during the hike out on the hill of the flowers, but it didn't detract from how beautiful the walk is.
Beautiful area, but way too popular for my taste.. It may have just been super busy due to the long weekend, but I think I'll save this one for a weekday trip if I decide to head back again.
