Blue Lake
At first, we thought Blue Lake would just be a spur off of Transfer Trail. After doing it, we realized that it was a trail on its own. It is a great side trip if you're on Transfer Trail. We came down from the north end and headed down the trail.
It was scenic from the start, and we liked how remote it was. We soon came to the optional hill, and we chose to go up it on the way in and around it on the way out. The two options weren't that different in difficulty, and both were fun.
We went through the big, marshy meadow and finally got to Blue Lake. There were a bunch of people camping next to it in the the only spot that was decent, and it looked like a great time. They were even doing laundry. It would be a great place for an extended stay.
We kept going, unsure if it would be worth it. It was! The views at the end were awesome, and we stayed at the turnaround for a while. A campfire ring was there, but it would be annoying to stay there if vehicles were always trying to turn around. There was also an old gate and some signs noting that people could hike down into the canyon and along Keyser Creek. It's a motorless trail that takes you all the way to town, and it sounds like a tough one.
We headed back, taking the spur marked as a dead end. It ended at a really nice cabin at a gate. That would be the best place to stay! This ended up being a really nice trail.
