Meanwhile, we scouted for the Lake Simtusus Trail, which loops up and found a sign for the trail on the hillside above the parking lot. The trail begins just across Pelton Dam Road from the park. Though there was little traffic when we visited, it’s sure to pick up with the warming weather, so cross carefully if you park here.
We studied the sign, which told of the potential for rattlesnakes and gave some details about the trail, which hits an elevation of 2,150 feet at its highest point, and is 1.86 miles in length.
Alltrails, meanwhile, puts the length at 2.3 miles, accounting for the walk through the park one must do to make it a full loop.
As we ascended the trail, I finally noticed a small dirt parking lot on the trail-side of the road, a little too late to bother moving the car.
The trail is described on the sign as moderate to difficult, and there’s good reason for that, as the first quarter mile at either end of the trail is fairly steep and rocky, gaining about 400 feet of elevation as you make your way to the very cool center portion atop an old railroad bed, with the scattered old railroad ties to show for it. This portion is the definition of moderate, and there are even some boulders set up in places to take in the views.
Though only 2 miles in length, the trail, as foretold by the sign, took us about two hours to complete — Alltrails put it at just over an hour, but maybe it didn’t take in the pauses to gawk and take photos. We stopped frequently to take in the rock formations, views of the lake below, the Cascades in the distance, the early-season wildflowers and birds darting around. OK, and maybe to rest a little. But what’s the hurry? This was the highlight of our weekend. Best to dawdle.
We lucked out with a cloudy day, and we were still grateful we’d brought enough water, as there’s a dearth of shade. You’ll also want sturdy footwear, although Catherine managed in sneakers, but she wouldn’t have opted for them if her husband hadn’t removed the dusty hiking boots she thought were still in the car from a previous hike. (Oops.)
The way back down to lake level from the north end of the trail was not super well-marked. We overshot it at first, continuing along the railroad bed until it became obvious we must have missed it. We backtracked and made our way down past a massive pile of timber, the trail ending at a small pullout off of Pelton Dam Road. Crossing the street, we made our way back through the park’s empty campground to our car at the opposite end of the park.
Pelton Park and Lake Simtustus will become hives of activity during the next few months, no doubt, but there’s solitude to be had a little higher up on Lake Simtustus Trail.