Walk by the Water

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With a couple of hours to kill, I took what is one of my favorite hikes through Sleeping Giant Park.  Out on the quiet northern side of the mountain, parking at the Circle trailhead on Tuttle Ave, this little loop starts with a walk through horse country, a short uphill hike, and then a nice little wander by streams and waterfalls.  And since we're still drying out from string of storms that came through this summer, there's plenty of water running.

I hiked along the horse path west from the parking area, past the pastures along Tuttle Ave.  Sections are pretty soggy where the water runs off the hills but doesn't quite drain out to the road.  Turn uphill at the Red Triangle trail.  This one leads up along a stream gorge - nice scenery but little water.  There is one steep and narrow section of the trail where it crosses the top of the gorge, but a fallen tree makes a good handrail to lean on.  Turn back east at the Violet trail, or for a little more of a workout continue on and then turn east on the Blue trail.  Either way, head back north when you get to the Red Circle trail, and my favorite section of streams and waterfalls.























The Circle trail follows another stream back down the mountain, with a series of bends, twists and cascades along the way.  Usually pretty dry by late summer, the stream was still babbling away with enough water to feed the falls.  Continue on the trail past the Gorge Cascade, and down to the trailhead and parking lot.  If you're trucking along, the hike may take about 45 minutes.  If you stop and take a break by the water, maybe a little longer.


And if you waste time trying to get the little critters to pose, you can be there all afternoon!



Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 14, 2011 at 5:12 AM

    What time did you go out? - Fran and I went out early, 8:30. We parked at C.Lane and came around on a horse or may xc trail to Red Circle. We could have met. We then turned left to Blue then Green. The water was lovely at the top, looks to have been magnificent in the Gorge. I've always wondered why there are not similar water falls on Red Triangle; seems like there once were. Did you notice you'd been immortalized in Sunday's blog? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. JimSeptember 14, 2011 at 7:29 AM

    I was out a little later, just missed you I guess. I saw your post, it looks like an invasion of orange.
    The Triangle stream doesn't have nearly as much area feeding it, so I'll bet it just drains out quickly after a rain - you would have to get into that gorge at just the right time to see much action!

    ReplyDelete
  3. JordanSeptember 14, 2011 at 3:58 PM

    Theses pictures could be in a coffee table book. Amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. JimSeptember 15, 2011 at 7:04 AM

    Thanks Jordan. It's easy if you don't mind schlepping a tripod and long lens around on a hike! and walking into the stream to get a good angle, and waiting for the sun to move behind that tree, and... Aww heck, just enjoy the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. HeatherMarch 21, 2012 at 8:05 PM

    Looking for a hike to do this Saturday...wondering if the waterfalls are still flowing or are all dried up? I'm not a very adventurous person...want something not too easy but not hard, don't like to actually rock climb. Thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JimMarch 23, 2012 at 11:48 AM

      Hi Heather - the stream on the Red Triangle trail is just a trickle now, and the waterfall on the Red Circle is pretty wimpy. But it's still a nice hike - it's a babbling brook instead of a rushing stream, sounded nice and relaxing as I went through. Both red trails have some steep sections, but not as rocky as other parts of the park. Have fun!

      Delete

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