The truth of the adage use it or lose it really came home to us on this recent hike in the Caribou Wilderness! After four weeks of no hiking due to family obligations, this moderate ~7-mile hike at ~7,000 feet, with ~750 feet of elevation gain, just about did us in.
But it was a delight to be out on the trail again, especially as we’d chosen a destination that we had not visited for several years: North & South Cypress lakes.
Much has changed since we were last there (Rim and Cypress Lakes, September 6, 2020). Most significantly, the area was burned by the Dixie Fire of 2021. Much of the forest along Black Lake Loop Trail burned (but is now revegetating), as did the first ~1/2 mile of the side trail that leads up to the Cypress lakes.
Once past Rim Lake, the effects of Dixie Fire become much less obvious. The mixed conifer forest greatly thins out and huge junipers begin to appear.
Photo taken by Don Burk.
Expansive views of the surrounding area, including Silver and Caribou lakes, reward one’s efforts at the highest point on the ridge. The trail actually drops from there down to North and South Cypress lakes.
It was well past peak bloom season for most flowering plants, but we still found over three dozen species in bloom. Spring would undoubtedly dazzle with blooms, but the hordes of insects—especially mosquitoes!—take all the enjoyment out of botanizing. Late summer and fall are our favorite seasons in the Caribou Wilderness as there are still plenty of flowers, and fall colors are spectacular.
For directions to the Caribou Lake Trailhead, please see Black Lake Loop, August 23, 2020, and plan a visit for this fall! In the meantime, here’s a little preview of just a few of the treasures you might stumble upon. All photos by Don Burk. Enjoy! -Laurie & Don Burk
Close-up of an arnica, very possibly Sierra arnica, Arnica nevadensis.
