At the end of the first week of September, we got an early start to hike the McConnell Hill Loop route.    From the Stake Lake parking area we followed a series of double track ski trails (Cartwheel – Ponderosa – Sitting Bull – Rustler) to get to point on the southwest corner of the hill.    We then followed a single track snowshoe trail (Bushwhacker) to the rim of the basalt bluffs area.    The trail goes right around the hilltop, but we chose to go to a lookout on the west side, then retrace our steps and hike around to another lookout on the south side of the hill.

From the first viewpoint, our view was to the west, with Stake Lake below and Chuwhels Mountain rising to fill the horizon. From the second viewpoint we saw Lac le Jeune to the south with Ridge Mountain rising above.  To the southeast we could spot Fred Lake, Custer Lake, and Rossmoore Lake and the forests burned in the Rossmoore Fire. We hiked for 3 hours following the Sidewinder Trail back toward Stake Lake.  Much of the route was through quiet douglas fir and lodgepole pine forests.

On another day we will hike the whole Bushwhacker Loop on top of McConnell Hill, but for this day, we were pleased with a 9 km hike on the Stake Lake Trails.