Trying to plan a hike, weeks in advance, can be challenging. For one thing, people’s plans can change – but more importantly, you cannot predict the weather that far out. Today, gathering my working friends who can only hike on the weekend, we were gifted with a perfect fall day.
The drive was just under 2 hours, with the last 13 miles on a twisty, winding road that led us to the trail head that would take us to The Channels.
Just a little over 3 miles up, the trail starts out as a gravel road and then splits off to a proper trail. A little steep at times, but this is definitely doable for almost anyone. There are a couple of views on the way up, but this one awaits you at the top
along with this fire tower,
and this deserted shack.
But of course, the main attraction is the Channels themselves. The Channels are sandstone rock formations that create a maze.
They are beautiful, and will bring out the inner child in you as you explore each new path and squeal with delight when you realize how cool this place is. Pictures cannot really capture these intriguing works of art.
After relaxing, exploring and feeding our faces a bit, we descended to another area that is called the “hidden channels.” They weren’t hidden very well.
They were also fascinating structures, but this time we were on top of them and able to enjoy the surrounding mountains.
Me, with my weekend hikers, Beth, Debbie, and some of you may recognize fellow blogger, LB from Life on the Bike.
We had such a fun day, with the best weather we could possibly hope for, and the companionship of good friends who share a love of hiking.
As a side note: Two years ago, almost to the day, I did this hike with JG. Things have changed since then. For one thing, the parking lot is bigger and fuller – people are beginning to discover this hike. There is now a lodge, and the trail has been updated with signs (or else we just didn’t notice them before).
It’s definitely worth the trip – my friends rated it 5 stars. I rate it as a perfect way to spend a fall day. Thanks for stopping by.
The Unassuming Hiker 
It looks beautiful! Those rocks look like they’d be a lot of fun to explore.
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They were!
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It looks very beautiful there too- though where isn’t it beautiful in your part of the world? Nice to see our mutual friend out there with you all too. xo
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We do live with beautiful surroundings.
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Great photo of you at the end 🙂
… and I love the 3rd photo from the bottom. It reminds me so much of hiking along the Bruce Trail in southwestern Ontario. Any section where we were skipping over, around, and through large rocks such as these were my favourite!
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Thanks Joanne, climbing around on top was a little scary if you looked down between the rocks – but it was definitely fun.
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Such a fun, fun day! I keep thinking how happy we all were. We need to do this more!
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So glad you and your friends got such a great day for hiking. Just googled this to find out it is only 2 1/2 hours from me, so it’s going to the top of this list for full day hiking trips. I love knowing what there is to see and look forward to – it gets me through those more challenging parts of the hike. Love the BIG smiles!
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Thanks Kristin, I think you will find it is worth the trip. I find I am more motivated if I know there will be a view to wow me.
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I ALMOST felt like I was along with you all. Except I didn’t lose the calories, nor get that euphoric look on my face as you all did after a satisfying hike like that. And don’t you think that hiking with good friends makes the journey that much sweeter? I’m a tinge jealous. Beautiful.
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Thank you! And, yes, hiking with friends not only makes the journey sweeter, but it seems to move along more quickly because you are chattering so much.
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🙂
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Karen, it’s amazing how busy we all are and how hard it can be to get even a small group together. I’m so glad the stars aligned and you had good weather, great company and an amazing day on the playground. I would love to see those one day. They’re breathtaking.
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Yes, I’m sure you can relate to how difficult it is – in fact we started with 6 and ended up with 4, which was totally fine. The Channels really are something special.
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I hope to see them one day. You live in such a beautiful state.
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It looks delightful! Those stones appear as though they’d be a considerable measure of amusing to investigate.
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They really were fun.
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