The Barnes Lake Trails are a bit of a hidden secret.     The trail system is maintained by the Barnhartvale Horse and Hiker Society in an area which is half in the grasslands and half in open forest.   Good signage is posted and most of the trails are easy to follow, allowing hikers to choose their own route.   We usually choose the outside loop, staying left at almost all junctions until we take the right turn past Killdeer Pond to return us back to the start, a 9.5 km route.

From the Gardiner Road trailhead we hiked for about 1.6 km in the open sagebrush grasslands before approaching the edge of the forest.

We ventured out from the east side trails to see some ponds in open meadows, not far from the Robbins Range Road.

The next 4 km was all in the forest, moderate trails through glaciated terrain.   From the far end of the trails we descended down to the grasslands and past Killdeer Pond.

In the distance to the southeast was Bestwick Hill (which we have also hiked) and forested hills of the Robbins Range.

The final section of the outside loop was a hike through the open grasslands back to the trailhead.   Rocky Hills surround the Barnes Lake Trails, asking for return trips for more exploration.

We usually hike the Barnes Lake Trails in April, then return again in mid-fall.   More information is provided below:

• Barnes Lake Trails