![Picture](/uploads/7/5/8/8/7588918/4871999.jpg)
Last year I went to Garibaldi Lake for the first time, and thought it was about the best hike ever. But in some ways, this Saturday's Cheakamus Lake trail was even better: it incorporated the best elements of the Garibaldi Lake hike (not surprising since the two lakes are quite close to each other) with a fantastic effort:reward ratio (this trail is basically flat; Garibaldi Lake has about 800m of elevation gain).
![Picture](/uploads/7/5/8/8/7588918/4223930.jpg)
The most difficult part of the outing was driving to the trailhead on a dirt road with some potholes.
![Picture](/uploads/7/5/8/8/7588918/838686.jpg)
The trail is flat and well-maintained, and goes through a lovely forest and alongside a glacier-fed lake.
![Picture](/uploads/7/5/8/8/7588918/5963407.jpg)
The campgrounds - about 3 km in - were definitely filling up on a Saturday afternoon, but would probably be fairly vacant on a late-September weekday. We had the beach at the end of the trail all to ourselves.
Trees, trees, and more trees. Lush green everywhere. A perfect fall day.
Trees, trees, and more trees. Lush green everywhere. A perfect fall day.