After descending from Kesugi Ridge on the Ermine Hill trail, I needed to get 10 miles down the highway to Byers Lake. I had heard that hitching a ride in Alaska was easy and managed to get a ride after waiting for only 10 minutes. It was a mile walk on the road into the campground, which was on the west side of this gorgeous blue lake.
Campsite D13 at the Byers Lake campground
I was feeling a bit lethargic that afternoon but I got in at noon and had a long time of sunlight, so I did the mostly level hike a few miles to The Cascade, on the north side of the lake
The next morning was yet another crystal blue day and the plan was to do the 5 mile loop hike around Byers Lake before heading in to Talkeetna. Here is a shot of the clear water along the shoreline.
Looking north from the south side of the lake
Once you get to the east side of the lake, you have the Alaska Range for a backdrop. There is Denali again.
There are three rentable/reservable public use cabins along the lake
An alternate view of the same one. If only they could see this while at the cabin.
More wildlife on and near the water
If you're willing to hike in a couple of miles or row a boat across the lake, there are about a half dozen walk-in sites on the east side. The drive-in sites on the west side are well away from the water - no lake views from camp. These are much better.
This suspension bridge crosses Byers Creek at the inlet to the lake
A couple last lake views
