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I just completed this trail with my German Shepherd and had a great time. We made Jefferson Lake in 4 hours, stayed the night and returned at a faster pace, making the trailhead in 3 hours. A big portion of the trail is overgrown with 5ft. tall plant life, making the trail impossible to see. I used a compass to stay on course and bushwhack for about 3 miles, then picked up the trail again. It's obvious this trail hasn't received any attention from the forest service for some time now,so plan on using your nav skills on this one. We encountered a braver-than-average black bear while encamped at Jefferson Lake, and had difficulty finding a suitable place to hang a bear bag since all the trees are limbless due to a forest fire. My dog, Sigg, is a good bear deterrant and took the night shift guarding the food bag. If you are considering this trail, start early enough so you're not walking in the dark and bring some good jungle juice (deet). Bear bells may be useful as well. Hope this helps somebody! Says Jackson
This great outdoors trail has a total elevation difference of 2,516 feet which is a higher than average number. There is only one trailhead, so you'll be backcountry trekking it in and back out. At parts of the year this neighborhood sees very little rain, so don’t forget to check for any current fire restrictions before you go. With its 16.2 miles of walking distance; it's longer than many trails. Of course, this is an overnight walk, 2.5 days normally, so it's a perfect thing if your backpack is big enough to do the job. Some parts of Jefferson Lake Trail are much higher up than other parts of the trail, and that means that some parts of the trail could be very different from other parts of it. This is a long wilderness hiking trail, so do pack enough food to last the whole trip.
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Total in and out hiking length = 16.2 miles
Total climbing distance = 6.5 miles
Difficulty : Difficult
Casual Hiking Pace:
2.5 days
Fast Hiking Pace:
9 hours
Total elevation difference: 2516 feet
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