{"id":70262,"date":"2016-07-19T14:15:47","date_gmt":"2016-07-19T21:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/?p=70262"},"modified":"2016-07-19T14:15:47","modified_gmt":"2016-07-19T21:15:47","slug":"elkhart-park-trailhead-to-poles-creek-lakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/?p=70262","title":{"rendered":"Elkhart Park Trailhead to Poles Creek Lakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elkhart Park Trailhead is easily accessed off the top of Skyline Drive, a completely paved road leading to a multitude of hikes into the Wind River Range.<\/p>\n

This one is an out – and – back hike — about 10 miles roundtrip. On the way there is a steady yet relaxed incline, making the way back feel like a nice stroll through the woods.<\/p>\n

If you’re in the mood for a good dose of wilderness and solitude that is more than doable in one day, with fantastic views and unique flora and fauna, then I would highly recommend this hike.<\/p>\n

I came to the trailhead a bit later than usual, around 1 PM, with\u00a0no expectations other than to find a nice\u00a0place to camp out for the night. I was pleasantly surprised.<\/p>\n

Park at the Elkhart Park Trailhead lot. There will be a sign directing you to the “Poles Creek Trail” — take that one.<\/p>\n

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The first few miles is heavily trafficked; be prepared to come across other humans, dogs and horses for the first 2-3 miles.<\/p>\n

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You will pass through a series of mature spruce-pine forests and open meadows, blanketed with lush green vegetation and beautiful wildflowers. Keep an ear out for American Three-toed Woodpeckers and warblers in the forests.<\/p>\n

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Follow signs for Pole’s Creek Lakes, Photographer’s Point and\/or Eklund Lake.<\/p>\n

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4.5 miles in, you will reach what is called “Photographer’s Point” (for good reason). You can’t miss it — there will be a steeper incline up to the rock outcrops where you will approach expansive views of the Wind River Range. I recommend staying here for a while, a great place to enjoy that apple or granola bar you brought along for a snack.<\/p>\n

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From here, the trail will continue on down a bit through a mix of forested\u00a0swampy areas. I think it is only fair to mention that the mosquitos could be bothersome depending on when you go — I recommend wearing long pants and a breathable long-sleeve shirt.<\/p>\n

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About a quarter of a mile past Photographer’s Point, you will come to a large open field with two small lakes on either side of the trail. Continue straight. (There is also another lake further to your right that you can overlook just a few hundred steps away).<\/p>\n

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Shortly after you head back into the woods, another sign will point you to Pole’s Creek Lakes and you will veer to the right toward the lake. I decided to stop at this point as it\u00a0gave me plenty of time to set up camp, collect wood for the night, and explore the surrounding area. You could make this a turn-around point, or, if you wanted to continue on, this trail will lead you to the popular destination, Seneca Lake.<\/p>\n

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There are many small campsites off the trail (between 200-500 feet) that already have stone pits set up for a warming campfire.<\/p>\n

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If you are planning on camping\/hiking out here often, make sure to have a sleeping bag rated at 20 degrees, or a sleeping system that will keep you warm and toasty when it often\u00a0drops to freezing (or slightly above) at night. For this outing, I brought my 40-degree sleeping bag, a sleeping pad and one-person bivy, as well as warm base layers. Next to a fire, I was not shivering, and plenty warm to make it through the chill of the night. However, I was quite restless most of the night and wished I had a\u00a0warmer sleeping bag or an extra liner.<\/p>\n

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This was my first time using this bivy, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. My favorite quality is the plastic window and screened ventilation. With just the screen over my head, I stayed up for hours watching the night sky — I have never seen so many stars in my entire life. Looking up, I forgot that I was cold at all (or paranoid\u00a0of bears). It is\u00a0a moment that empties you of any thoughts or worries and fills you with simple, beautiful awe.<\/p>\n

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I was fortunate to not encounter any rain or storms during my stay. Once the sun fell, \u00a0I was a bit stunned by the near complete silence that surrounded me. You could hear a bundle of pine needles float to the forest floor.\u00a0No chorus of insects or frogs, no wind — only the still of absence of sound.<\/p>\n

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Wake up with the birds, and head back over to Photographer’s Point for the sunrise. Enjoy the rest of your hike down in the tranquility\u00a0of the morning.<\/p>\n

Happy Trails!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elkhart Park Trailhead is easily accessed off the top of Skyline Drive, a completely paved road leading to a multitude of hikes into the Wind River Range. This one is an out – and – back hike — about 10 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7283,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70262"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70762,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70262\/revisions\/70762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}