The Barnes Lake Trails are one of our best-kept secrets.   these lovely trails offer a combination of double track and single tracks trails, routes in the grasslands and in the forest, and number of route options.   We usually choose to hike them  in shoulder season, but they are good hiking option for most of the year.  There are 3 trailheads (see the article link at the bottom for details), but we usually choose the unsigned trailhead at the junction of Barnhartvale Road and Gardiner Road.   The trails climbs through the sagebrush in an easement between two houses.

The whole area is surrounded by fences  but once through the entrance gate, there are many trail options.   We usually follow the main trail (#1) as it climbs the hillside above Barnes Lake.

In April the first wildflowers were out and yellow bells graced the slopes next to the trails.

Sagebrush buttercups are the first to emerge and were most often spotted in open areas.

We hiked the outer loop (link to a map) in a counter-clockwise loop, staying left at most junctions, a 9.35 km route.  The trails climb in to the forested slopes on the south side then winds back to the grasslands area, passing some meadows and a Killdeer Pond.

As we returned by Trail #2 and spotted some riders.   These are horse-and-hiker trails and the established etiquette is  horses before hikers, so hikers should step off the trail and wait for the riders to pass.   This is a widely accepted practice and it also extends to hikers and mountain bikers (hikers before mountain bikes, but most bikers don’t know this so pass on the word – more information).

The loop finishes coming down to the rural homes next to Barnhartvale Road.   Our outing was about 4 hours of moderate hiking, perfect for a spring hike after the snows melt.

More information:

• Barnes Lake Trails
• Barnes Lake Trails in March
• Barnes Lake (2016)
• Next post/article – Frederick Bluffs – April 30