Ancient Lake - 1.24.2016
Directions from Exit 136 near Vantage to the parking area... there is also a link above this photo that will give you directions from anywhere to the parking area.
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A photo of the GPS track of our hike... 5.3 miles roundtrip, gaining ~600 feet of elevation.
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Foggy with snow in the parking lot.
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Shortly after hiking into the coulee we saw this waterfall.
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The 3 lakes (a long time ago the 3 lakes were only 1 lake) at the head of the coulee... and our approximate route up to a bench that will get us over to the break in the mesa that separates the Dusty Lake coulee from the Ancient Lake coulee.
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Our approximate route from the 3 lakes at the head of the coulee up to the break in the mesa that leads down to Dusty Lake... and then back down to the floor of the coulee.
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Denali Girl coming up to the bench from the floor of the coulee.
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Denali Girl and ragman on a nice view spot above the 3 lakes at the head of the coulee.
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Still coming up from the floor of the coulee.
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Nice rock formations on the bench between the floor of the coulee and the break in the mesa that separates the two coulees.
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Nice rock formations on the bench between the floor of the coulee and the break in the mesa that separates the two coulees.
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Nearing the break in the mesa that separates the Ancient Lake coulee and the Dusty Lake coulee.
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Denali Girl nears the break in the mesa.
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Looking down on Dusty Lake from the break in the mesa.
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Trying to get up on top of the mesa looks a bit intimidating from the break in the mesa... but a much easier route exists if you traverse 50 yards around the rock outcropping on the Ancient Lake side of the mesa.
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A good path exists that will get you down to Dusty Lake if you choose to take it... the secret is to stay at the base of the basalt columns until you see the obvious path that leads down to the lake.
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We chose not to go down to Dusty Lake... and continued along the bench that separates the floor of the coulee and the top of the mesa.
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On a good path that leads from the bench down to the floor of the coulee.
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Almost back to the floor of the coulee... and the approximate route we took earlier in the day.
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Back on the floor of the coulee... looking back toward the head of the coulee... a mile and a half of hiking will get us back to the parking lot.
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