Lake of the Clouds

A picture is worth a thousand words! The most visited spot in the park is the Lake of the Clouds overlook, and it's easy to see why. We were there for peak color, and the view did not disappoint no matter which way you looked.  We arrived around 4:00 p.m. and the light was nice for photography.  When we came back the next day in the morning there was nothing but glare.

While gazing down from the overlook we noticed some hikers crossing a bridge on the Big Carp River, so we came back the next morning to hike down and see what the view was like from there.

To reach the bridge you have to take the Mirror Lake trail. All 3 of the trails depart from the boardwalk at the overlook, and as you go down you eventually come to the sign which points the way.  We were there around 9:00 am and the woods was so quiet I commented that it was a little creepy. On our way back up the wildlife was finally awake and making noise in the trees and underbrush. The distance to the bridge is only a 3/4 mile trip and it isn't as steep as you would think when you're looking down from the overlook.

Once down to the bridge there really wasn't much to see, the view up the river or down to the lake was more obstructed than you would think, but it was a nice little stroll down and back up again and Wayne was happy that the trail wasn't steep enough to trouble his knees. The trail continues on to Mirror Lake for those that want a longer hike.

When we were near the top again we stopped to watch two woodpeckers for awhile but I wasn't able to get a good shot of them.  I guess you'll have to settle for two more shots featuring the two of us and all that amazing fall color!