Embleton Mountain Hikes

One of my favorite trails systems can be found near Heffley Lake.   Drive past Heffley Lake and look for the trailhead sign on the north side.   There is a new parking area a short ways up the road so turn off the road and proceed up to P1 or P2.   Either parking area is fine, but I usually park at P1.   There are trailhead signs at most junctions so you can pick your own route, but I usually travel up the trails along the east side (the Old Fence Trail and Pine Ridge trails.   This area has been logged and replanted so it is not as interesting or scenic as the rest of the trail system, but the east side trails are less steep and if the goal is to get to the highest lookout, this is the recommended route.   You will go over the slopes and come out onto a plateau in an open, reforested area.   The trail is still easy to follow, but there is one section where the logging activity hasn’t been followed up with clearing the slash, so for about 10 minutes you may have to find a route towards the northwest corner where the trail is easy to follow.   Wildflowers are abundant nin the open area on top – fireweed, yarrow, paintbrush, hawkweed, arnica, larkspur, pussytoes, and campanula are present in abundance.   Three is now a shelter at the Upper Viewpoint, and forestry crews have recently cleared the viewpoint.   Chocolate liles cover the hillside at the end of May.   This is good spot for lunch and a rest.

The best route down is to follow the ridgeline on the west side, called Skyline Ridge on the maps.   There are fabulous views all the way down, but be careful near the edge of the bluffs.   There are route signs and maps at all major junctions and all the trails interact, so you can pick your own route.   My favorite east-west trail is the Old Mills Trail.   There are four long-abandoned mill sites with a creek running past 3 of them.    Use the trail signs to work your way back to the parking lot.

This is a quiet trail system with lots of redeeming features – streams, views, wildflowers, wildlife, signed trails, and great viewpoints.   In the fall there are a lot of aspens that brighten up the forest and the trails are good for winter hiking.   A spot to return to in every season.