Somewhat challenging but doable for beginners and great destination to mark the middle of the tour. Bring swim suits and food! Excellent place to hang out read more

Lake Margaret - Hiking Near Me - Homewood, California

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Beautiful moderate difficulty hike with stacked stones to indicate the way. It was a great day hike for two young inexperienced hikers. We saw couples and families of all ages enjoying the scenery along the way. The lake itself is beautiful, but we didn't explore too much around it's banks. We found a nice little area to have lunch before heading back. read more

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Our hiking group has done this trail annually every winter. This hike is NOT for the beginner, OR the faint of heart. You WILL do some climbing, and if you do this hike when we do, you WILL hike through snow AND need to go THROUGH water to get to the lake. Definitely WORTH the trip, especially if you go with an experienced group. Don't get me wrong, this is by no means a DIFFICULT hike, but one you certainly would not do just to say you "hike." Plan accordingly, it was cold and there WAS snow (February.) However, you will be rewarded when you arrive. Just look at the photos! STUNNING, only wish I had my pro-gear when I got there! A MUST for any true adventurer! read more

Lake Margaret - Our Group - Late Winter/Early Spring Hike - Hiking Near Me - Homewood, California

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Lake Margaret is so beautiful and serene. It is the perfect setting after a 2.4 mile hike. The lake is calm and soothing; it makes you want to sit there for hours. Great for swimming. The hike, however, was harder than expected. My hiking book said it was "easy" but I found it to be at least "moderate" - hiking uphill and downhill through rocks and granite, over fallen trees, and across logs over streams. In the steep rocky parts the trail was not that easily defined. Lucky for everyone, someone (maybe some Boy Scouts?) marked the trail with rock art to make it easier to follow. Bug repellent is a MUST! Warning: Hiking with a baby on your back can get hard towards the end of the hike when you're approaching the lake. You're literally rock climbing. If you have a stroller, there's no way it can make it all the way to the lake. The end result - Lake Margaret - is sooooo worth the trek. read more

Lake Margaret - Hiking Near Me - Homewood, California

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This trail is pretty good but parts of the trail are covered in puddles. Remember to bring insect repellent. As an Eagle Scout, i brought along the 10 things you need most which includes a pocket knife, first aid kit, map, compass, etc. (to name a few). This hike is not as simple because you could get lost from the trail. Remember to look for rock formations (rock art) and red ribbon attached to trees so you know the direction to go. Luckily I researched online that the trail would go along the creek. Remember to bring lots of water and snacks because this hike isn't as "easy" as the online research states. This 2.5 hour hike still has uphill and downhills against rocks so be prepared for any slipping as well so durable shoes is helpful. read more

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Absolutely loved this little lake! I took some Boy Scouts up to this lake this past weekend. We got to the trailhead a little later than expected 6:45pm but most of us had headlamps so we weren't that concerned and have done trips in the evening before. Some of the older scouts who leading in the front missed some of the trail markers and got us off track for a while, so watch out for those game trails that can lead you in circles. After we found the trail again it was pretty clear what to look for to stay on the trail. Like others have said look for the 3 cairn stones located all over the place, but also there are plenty of trees marked with an "i" in the bark. The "i" is for those who do the trail during snow season, with cross country skis or snowshoeing. We got to the lake around 9pm and were lucky to have an almost full moon which lit up the who place. Another group was setting up camp as well but there was plenty of room amongst the granite boulders. Deep on the east north east side of the lake there was a bigger place to set up tents but we wanted to be closer to the water. I woke up early, as I was the one one to bring a fishing rod and was not disappointed. Between the myself, another leader, and the scouts all taking turns we caught 8 trout in the morning. We saw a few fly fishers but it didn't look like they had much luck. Periodically we would see some day hikers arrive, some with their 4-legged companions, many of them water dogs. If you're there for the fishing just wait 10 min or so after a dog gets out and the fish will be biting again. There is a geocache at this lake, and some of the scouts found it, I remembered what the tip was and saw the marker from the picture and gave the scouts the info. They signed the logbook and re-hid the cache. Some of the boys went swimming, and I joined them but the water was very cold, as it is late September so it was to be expected. We had lunch and broke down camp and set back out to the cars. There were plenty of day hikers we passed along the trail, and enjoyed the views we missed the evening before. I absolutely loved the meandering brook that is about 0.5-0.75 miles from the trailhead. We stopped there and tried a few times with the fishing pole but as we were late to the cars we packed it back up after 5 min. Everyone loved the hike and had a blast at the lake. Definitely a place to visit again, but we'll bring more fishing poles next time. read more

Lake Margaret - Meadow brook - Hiking Near Me - Homewood, California

A lot of rocks, granite hills, and technical trail. The scenery is very striking. I am glad to have done it but will stick with some other favorite hikes in the future. If you are looking for a spot to swim in the summer, it is great.....but you will work for it! read more

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Spoiler alert! The beginning, middle, and end of this hike are every little bit of amazing. My husband and I, accompanied by our 7 year old Parson Russell Terrier and our 8 month old Catahoula X, hiked the Lake Margaret trail yesterday, July 21. I am still beaming from this beautiful hike and it was the first thing I wanted to talk about with my co-workers when I arrived at work this morning. Coming from the Placerville area, this was an easy trek. It took just under 2 hours to arrive at the trailhead. From this direction (West-East) the easy-to-find trailhead is just after the Kirkwood gas station which will be on your left. There was plenty of parking available when we arrived in the morning, but was full when we left (around 1pm). According to my pedometer app, this hike was just a smidgen under 5 miles round trip. It took the four of us about 65-70 minutes each way. This trail is considered "moderate". I would classify myself on the lower end of above-average fitness and I would rate 90% of this hike as "easy" and the rest "moderate." The trail consists of varying terrain; mostly soft footing, some large rocks to traverse through (only in small stints), a mostly empty river bed and even a sturdy log to pass over part of a creek. The scenery gets 5 stars from me. I was so pleasantly surprised, constantly, during this hike. Wildflowers were everywhere! Being July, I assumed that wildflower season was over. Not here, folks! The moist ground allows for a lush landscape. There was one portion where I felt like I was in the tropics with thick, tall foliage and even humidity! The meadow creek was an absolute pleasure to see. The last time I saw a creek like that was in Montana. Perhaps I need to explore this area more! Fish jumped in this creek as well as at the lake. There was a family of hikers with fly fishing poles and I can only assume this may be a good area to drop a line. There are some pools that reflected the hills and trees around them. Incredible places to stop and meditate as long as you have your bug spray handy. There is a slight scramble up some rocks that make the anticipation to see Lake Margaret even more rewarding. Exhausted and on the verge of giving up, I finally breach the top of the treacherous mountain only to look down upon the promised land. But it wasn't a mountain, nor was I exhausted from a journey that I was chosen to take by a grey-haired wizard. But hey, it was fun to imagine... Lake Margaret is stunning. It is on the smaller side, but one can gaze down upon it all day. There are many spots to eat lunch or take a nap. I waded into the lake and the water was warm! Yes, you can swim in this lake without freezing your tush off. Unfortunately, I didn't have a bathing suit, so wading was my only option that day. This hike is great for those of us who love bringing our best buddies with us. My one complaint, however, is the lack of leashes that were attached to all the dogs on the trail. Please, if you are bringing your dog, be courteous to other dog owners who have pooches who highly disagree with having their faces licked and butts smelled by strangers (wouldn't you be a bit snappy if someone did this to you?) I give this hike 5 stars. As soon as we arrived at the truck, I was asking my husband when we can go back and that we must bring our friends so they can enjoy this treasure as well. read more

5 miles round trip - hike done in mid July Lake Margaret is a small pretty lake and the hike itself is lovely if you dose yerself with mosquito repellant before you take off. I didn't. The small parking area was already full when I arrived and I could see a large group of 9 year olds getting ready to hit the trail, so I just bolted on, trusting in the newfangled repellant button I had recently purchased. Note on repellant buttons: Don't bother, they don't work. So I spent 90% of my time going in slapping at monster mosquitoes that were determined to drain every drop of blood out of my body. The other 10% was spent admiring the wildflowers, which were beautiful. I was surprised when I arrived at the lake to see that it is smallish. A jewel for sure, but there were only 2 good spots for lake entry and one of them was already taken, so I sloshed my way over to the other large granite outcropping. The water looks almost black, but it's clean and refreshing. However, after 20 minutes the afore mentioned 9 year olds arrived and completely invaded my little bit of paradise. Not really their fault as there was no other open territory on the lake. And I felt a lot better after one of the babe-like dads offered up some Deet and explained that it was an outing for inner city kids so that hopefully they will appreciate nature - a very good cause. I hiked back with that glow one gets after encountering Very Cute Men. Even tho it was uphill, it seemed fairly easy and scenic. I'm going to say not a lot of shade, but not really sure on this as day wasn't too hot. Good things about hike: Easy hike Pretty lake Good swimming Wildflowers Scenic Decent trail Bad things: Mosquitoes Too popular Limited swim access Downhill first hike read more

I'd actually give this 4.5 stars if I could. I went on this hike Oct 9, 2010. The books do call this easy, but as Lil said, not so good of a description. But it's FUN! The book I read showed points on the trail like "Log crossing", and "double log crossing" & "granite slab". I didn't realize you literally had to cross a 15' wide creek by walking on a fallen tree. There is no other way around. (granted, 3 to 4" deep so not like you'd die, just get really wet and potentially ruin your camera). And the "granite slab" was no kitchen counter top...it was 30 foot tall, steep but mostly flat, and potentially dangerous if you lose your footing. Wear footwear with good grip. Getting lost on the trail is totally possible. While some of the trail is a well defined single track, other parts are nothing more than granite boulders or slabs. I imagine some of it is full of water runoff during the wet seasons. And also, there are multiple points where the track breaks into a Y but only one way is correct. The Trail takes you through a wonderful change in surroundings. Starting with trees, then granite, then a gorgeous winding creek, a grassy meadow, back to the trees, and finally a complete change in landscape foliage where the big trees were replaced with tall, bright green leafy shrubs. And the adventure of having to really try hard to be on the trial, getting a little lost where the trail disappears, and then using the subtle markers to keep on track is so much fun! You will rely on piles of three little rocks which are pointers to tell you "this is the way" and you look for the second set to make your line. You'll also see logs or rocks laid out in a line to warn you not to cross the path in that direction (like if you have two choices, one is open one is lined off). Really felt like an adventure hike. It was definitely a good workout with all the climbing of rocks. Great scenery for pics...several bodies of water before you get to the lake. You can fish in the creek, and you can fish in the lake. All in all, I was super impressed with this hike. Took 2 hours to get to the lake but we stopped for pics a lot. 1:15 to get back but we were going at a very fast "workout pace" worried we'd not beat sundown. No bugs for us....guess it's not the time of year for many bugs in October. However, its also not very popular at that time of year either so we would bump into someone every 20-25 minutes hiking back to their car...and we ended up arriving at the lake by 4:30 to have it all to ourselves. Pretty cool! I hope to go back to this hike with my fishing pole and maybe a different season like spring. read more

Did Lake Margaret in mid-July 2012. I didn't Yelp it as I have a hiking journal elsewhere. But I'm anxious for summer to get here so I can return to Lake Margaret. It was a sunny July day and we decided to hike up to the lake and relax. And we did just that. We sprawled out across a granite boulder to have lunch, sunbathed, took a dip, and enjoyed our cold ones. The lake was peaceful and it was just me, my buddy, and a few young kids swimming across the lake with their dog. This is about a 5 mile RT hike. I love the fact that you get to Margaret after 2.4 miles. It's a fun hike with creeks and logs to cross over. Just look for the rock cairns as trail markers. Dog-friendly. read more

I agree with Lil, this is a fun hike with a great reward. The trail is a little hard to see in places so stay alert. We tried the "dryer sheet" skeeter repellent trick- IT DOES NOT WORK! If it is later summer, go for a swim! read more

Lake Margaret is an awesome place. We backpacked to the lake with our 1 year old labradoodle (he wore a pack too). Our tents were right on the rocks overlooking the pristine and clear lake. I could not have asked for a better location. The hike is strenuous especially with backpacks but we're pretty active and we did it with our 8 year old daughter. She carried her own pack! In the afternoons, the lake area is surrounded by day hikers who come and enjoy the lake. After everyone leaves, it's so quiet and peaceful. We went late summer a few years ago and we had no problems with any bugs. We're going again this year! Can't wait! read more