On Saturday, Sarah and I hiked the Lake Trail at Yellowwood State Forest. The trail makes a loop around Yellowwood Lake. We’ve hiked this trail once before and really enjoyed it. But, that time we were not impressed with the second half of the trail; this time, we decided to do just one side as an out-and-back hike.  Here’s a map of our hike. We hiked about 5 1/2 miles.

View 2009-10-10 Yellowwood Lake Trail Hike in a larger map

It was a stunning fall afternoon, cool but not cold, and the fall colors were coming in nicely. This is our favorite lake (and also where we got married) so it’s a very special place for us.

Our hike started at the Jackson Creek trailhead. The water level is very low because they have intentionally lowered it for dredging and other maintenance tasks. The foreground area in the next photos is normally under water.

We hiked along an easy connector trail that took us by some wetlands, across a creek, and through a pine forest.

We got on the Lake Trail proper, which took us through hardwoods forests and through some creeks.

The trail then followed the edge of the lake, yielding some wonderful views along the way.

We came to a clearing and since the water level was so low, we were able to walk out onto a flat, cracked earth area that is normally completely under water. It was very beautiful and surreal, like the surface of another planet.

After a while, we reached the dam. We had a picnic here, during one of our first visits to Yellowwood. It’s fun to reminisce about other things we have done here before. The dam was looking particularly beautiful, with the long grass and the late afternoon sunlight hitting it at just the right angle. I walked most of the way across the dam so I could get a photo looking all the way to the other end of the lake, where we had started. At this point, the dog ran over to me and cracked me up.

Then Sarah started walking toward me, and she looked even more beautiful in this setting. For once, I got some photos that capture some of what I was feeling. I take a lot of landscape shots that I’m pleased with, but portraits are not my forte. I’m definitely happy with these.

Then that goofball of a dog ran over to me again.

We lingered on the dam for a few minutes, then headed back. The Lake Trail was far more enjoyable this way, as we got to to hike right by the water most of the time. I took fewer photos on the way back, and just enjoyed the walk.

All in all, this was a fantastic hike. I loved every moment of it, and I can’t wait to do more hiking with my wife. It’s been a while, but then again, winter is our primary hiking season.

File under: Hiking