Long Lake Loop Trail

Fun & scenic hike! Enjoyed all of the different views of Long Lake. We took the loop clockwise. On the west side of the lake the trail takes you across a very rocky trail of boulders & medium sized rocks and you are going downhill, so it is challenging! You will definitely need hiking boots!!

Lovely hike. Would recommend hiking in AllTrails’ counterclockwise direction as trail ascending along Long Lake towards high point is a large rock boulder scramble much easier to negotiate ascending than descending. I would not recommend trail for those with bad knees as there are several large boulder “stairs” to climb. Though my knees are fine, glad I brought two hiking poles and sturdy boots. Lots of Green-tailed Towhees seen and heard at trail high point. Once high point passed, trail becomes hard dirt covered by a thin layer of small rocks easily negotiated. All creek crossings easy. Though trail path is well defined, some junctions are not. AllTrails Recorder mode helped me make the correct choice. Had trail all to myself until approaching Mud and Silver lakes.

Still a little too early (May 29) to make it all the way around. Lots of snow, I lost the trail more than a few times, due to snow. Took waaay longer than I’d hoped for (again, because it was too early in the season). In approx 5.3 miles, I logged over 15,000 steps. I typically walk 10,000 steps in that same mileage.

We went in April and it was full of snow. I guess we should have waited a little bit. But it was good one.

Stunning country. Large rock steps hard on my knees but a nice trail

This trail has amazing views. The section along the Mt Elwell side of the lake might be difficult for anyone with a fear of heights as it is very narrow and rocky.

It’s a lot of uphill. 5 mile loop from Lakes Basin trailhead. An early start is best since much of it is full sun. The light is best for photos in the early am as well. We met at the trailhead at 7:30 am. Got going about 7:45 finished at 11 am.

Beautiful trail. Well maintained. I took my 6 year old daughter and she managed okay. There were a few parts that were a bit too much uphill and tiring for her, but we managed. There's a picture-esque photo at just about every turn. We stayed in a tent at Lakes Basin CG, and it was better than I could have ever anticipated.

Great during August. Tried it end of May early June and was completely washed out. Closer to 5.7 to parking lot!

Hiked with Kylie 07/20/19.

Did this trail mid July. still small patches of snow witch made it great as you can tell all the plant life is enjoying the extra water. beautiful views, lots of offshoots to make as strenuous as you want. I recommend counterclockwise.

Awesome hike with great views. Did the trail in late June and there was still quite a bit of snow on the north facing slopes, however it was passable with just hiking boots. Probably would have been a bit easier with trekking poles. We did the loop counterclockwise and the only problem we encountered was at the east end of the lake at the dam/spillway. Winds were sustained at 30mph with gusts to 40 which was pushing a lot of water over the spillway, creating a river that was impassable with out getting wet.

one of my favorite, beautiful. little rocky on the other side of the lake but my pup and i made it just fine. definitely worth it.

Not only did i hike this but i also did the horseback riding guided tours back in summer. It was a cool experience! Definitely check out the guided tours during the summer when they are open since its seasonal. The hike was beautiful. The views were stunning.

Really beautiful hike. Challenging in enough places to keep it interesting. Lots of possible variations to hit additional peaks, lakes, etc. Trail shown here is def more like 6 miles.

This is a beautiful loop hike but I agree with others here that have noted that the listed distance of 4.5 miles is incorrect. Our route tracker had it closer to 6 miles and we didn’t stray much from the inner loop trail option. That said this is a great hike and the fall colors, patchy clouds, dramatic views, and migrating flocks of geese high above were glorious - just be ready for something more like 5.5 - 6 miles.

One of our favorite hikes with many variations available to add on. There is an off shoot above Long Lake that will take you to the top of Mt Elwell for great distant views. Near the end you can turn right and extend the loop taking you by Silver Lake, Big Bear, Little Bear Lake and Cub Lake. It is probably the most common route explaining the difference in distance some have mentioned. Best time is late spring early summer for an abundance of wild flowers or late fall for some fall colors. We usually do this several times a year.

The views of Long Lake and its surroundings are absolutely stunning.

Great beautiful trail with a nice variety of terrain, gorgeous views, and plenty of wild flowers. Lost the trail briefly at the highest peak. Could use some tail markers. All Trails app helped us get back on track pretty quickly. We highly recommend this hike!

Definitely not a moderate hike. More difficult than that. Half of the loop is basically bouldering up a mountain. Would not recommend to people with children or older folks. Put your dogs in boots as the rocks very very hot and can cause blistering on their paws. Also our GPS says 5.8 miles, not 4.5.

GPS said 5.8 miles. Beautiful hike! We did it clockwise and it was a bit rough going down the rocky side. Next time we'll try counter clockwise! So many amazing views!

Wonderful flowers all along the trail. Doable with kids (8, 9,12 years old) (6/27)

Great hiking today. This app said 4.5 miles but my gps said 5.8.

What a great day. Doing this one again for sure. Maybe hiking boots next time.

Great hike. my 4 yr olds first backpacking trip. we camped at long lake eventhough it was "restricted". my son was too tired to hike out. this would have been nice to know before we got up there. We did some swimming. no luck with the fishing.