sgiandubh
Observer
In reminiscing about the past year, and prodded by the great 2014 in pictures posts, I mustered the motivation to write a couple of quick trip reports. 2014 was not an especially full year for us in regards to getting out and dirt on the tires, but we were able to knock off a line item in my local exploring ‘to do’ list. With Red River in easy driving distance and my brother in town for a long weekend in mid-July, we quickly decided that it was time to see what Goose Lake was all about.
After driving east along Hwy 38 through the ostentatiously rustic town of Red River and then following 578 out of town, a quick right dumps into a gravel parking area immediately before a cluster of vacation condos. The parking lot was full of trucks and trailers, conveyances for fleets of side-by-sides and 4 wheelers. Despite a natural affinity to avoid large groups of people, motorized or not, we pressed south through the parking lot following 486 and were immediately presented with a crossing of the (at the time) slow moving Red River. Locking the center diff of the Land Cruiser was sufficient to ford the 12-18” water without incident. Apart from the river crossing, the trail to Goose Lake (486 or Goose Lake Road) is largely traversable by high clearance 2wd but is interspersed with steep and potentially muddy sections that likely would require 4wd. I should have taken pictures of the road up, but traffic was steady and I refrained from stopping.
486 is intersected by various spurs and trails along its approximately 9 mile length. However, it is easy to follow the main road as it snakes upwards towards its culmination in a large gravel parking area at around 11,500 feet elevation. With a three year old only a couple of months into being potty trained, I was hopeful for the pit toilet that was immediately adjacent to the parking area. Alas, whether it was from heavy use or lack of service, it was full of trash and filth. Remarkably, it was not as crowded at the top as the trail traffic would have indicated, so we began scouting for a suitable campsite.
This would prove to be the greatest disadvantage of the area as there is one good camp spot within 50 feet of the parking area, but is directly along the walking path to the lake. In an effort to find sufficient seclusion we hiked to the north side of the lake and found a great spot to set up a tent amongst the trees with a great view of the lake. The downside was that it was a good distance to drag coolers and camping gear. We left the tent and most of the gear in the Cruiser and hauled up a couple of chairs and the cooler and promptly sat down to sandwiches and beer while enjoying the view.
While the afternoon would prove to be anything but tranquil with literally dozens of trucks, side-by-sides and 4wheelers cruising in and out, many blaring music, the evening paid dividends as we had the place to ourselves by 5 pm.
In light of that, we moved back down to the campsite near the lake. After dinner an increasingly persistent drizzle accompanied S’mores, so we left the tent alone and spent the night in the back of the Cruiser. I must say, that while we were warm and dry, I would not recommend the arrangement with 2 adults and a 3 year old that sleeps with all the calm of an eggbeater.
Continued...
After driving east along Hwy 38 through the ostentatiously rustic town of Red River and then following 578 out of town, a quick right dumps into a gravel parking area immediately before a cluster of vacation condos. The parking lot was full of trucks and trailers, conveyances for fleets of side-by-sides and 4 wheelers. Despite a natural affinity to avoid large groups of people, motorized or not, we pressed south through the parking lot following 486 and were immediately presented with a crossing of the (at the time) slow moving Red River. Locking the center diff of the Land Cruiser was sufficient to ford the 12-18” water without incident. Apart from the river crossing, the trail to Goose Lake (486 or Goose Lake Road) is largely traversable by high clearance 2wd but is interspersed with steep and potentially muddy sections that likely would require 4wd. I should have taken pictures of the road up, but traffic was steady and I refrained from stopping.
486 is intersected by various spurs and trails along its approximately 9 mile length. However, it is easy to follow the main road as it snakes upwards towards its culmination in a large gravel parking area at around 11,500 feet elevation. With a three year old only a couple of months into being potty trained, I was hopeful for the pit toilet that was immediately adjacent to the parking area. Alas, whether it was from heavy use or lack of service, it was full of trash and filth. Remarkably, it was not as crowded at the top as the trail traffic would have indicated, so we began scouting for a suitable campsite.
This would prove to be the greatest disadvantage of the area as there is one good camp spot within 50 feet of the parking area, but is directly along the walking path to the lake. In an effort to find sufficient seclusion we hiked to the north side of the lake and found a great spot to set up a tent amongst the trees with a great view of the lake. The downside was that it was a good distance to drag coolers and camping gear. We left the tent and most of the gear in the Cruiser and hauled up a couple of chairs and the cooler and promptly sat down to sandwiches and beer while enjoying the view.
While the afternoon would prove to be anything but tranquil with literally dozens of trucks, side-by-sides and 4wheelers cruising in and out, many blaring music, the evening paid dividends as we had the place to ourselves by 5 pm.
In light of that, we moved back down to the campsite near the lake. After dinner an increasingly persistent drizzle accompanied S’mores, so we left the tent alone and spent the night in the back of the Cruiser. I must say, that while we were warm and dry, I would not recommend the arrangement with 2 adults and a 3 year old that sleeps with all the calm of an eggbeater.
Continued...
