Mud Lake is a small marshy lake in the hills between McQueen Lake and Opax Mountain.   The tracks that lead to Mud Lake and around the lake are restricted to non-motorized use and somewhat grown-over.     I had been in to Mud Lake a number of times and I had explored several of the tracks branching off, but I had never worked out a loop route around the lake.   On this recent hike, I had a few clues provided from geocaches so I hiked the route, found the geocaches and explored some new routes.    I made one wrong turn and had to backtrack, but overall the route worked, but I spotted a shorter possible route which did not climb all the way up to the Opax Mountain Road, but that will wait for another day.    With all the exploration, the hike took a few hours, but now that I know the way, it can be done in about 4.5 km of hiking.   

Some navigation is required along the way. I used a GPS and a phone app to find the geocaches and to find the right routes around the lake. For many hikers a route to the shores of Mud Lake, then along the lakeshore and back will be an easier choice. At the southern end of Mud Lake are the remains of an old homestead. Jong Jung built a cabin there in 1913. The first time I saw the spot in about 1978, the cabin was collapsed. All that remains now are a lot of boards, an old stove, some sheet metal, and some old cans. Even though this is a marshy lake, I spotted loons on the lake. It is quiet and secluded scenic spot, although I would avoid bug season. I have snowshoed in to the area mid-winter and I hope to set a track over the loop in the upcoming snow season.

The route around the lake is only for explorers.    It is all on old grown-in tracks through the forest.   Shared here are some photos of the loop route around Mud Lake.    Click the link on any photo to go to the album with captions or scroll through the embedded slideshow in this post.

• YouTube short – Mud Lake Hike