Hoggs Bluff shoreline hike. – River to River Trail Hike

I decided to do something a little different and hike the shoreline of the bluff and the lake. (This is on Camp Ondessonk property, you must get permission and sign a waiver.)

I had seen a very old post of an acquaintance doing the lake years ago and I had wondered what the bluff looked like, and the time was right having perfect weather with the night before raining enough that the water was flowing in the creeks.

I stopped into the office and signed a waiver and told them I was ging to explore around Hoggs Bluff and come up from Gum Springs trailhead. (of the River to River trail) The trail is an old RR bed a short walk to the East along the R2R trail. Nearly in sight of the parking lot.

The hike around the bluff was clockwise with the first part being the sunny weedy South side then the shady less grown up North side. If you would like to try it, I suggest the counter clockwise North side first because you will not like wading through the poison ivy and greenbrier of the sunny side.

I’ll narrate on the photo captions.

The first R2R blaze was nailed too tight for the growing tree and it has lost the white part. They will get it fixed but you aren’t going more than a matter of feet on the R2R.

It’s well underway to being leafed out.

It gets REALLY grown up along the sunny side. You won’t like it at all. You can walk it without getting your feet wet though.

Found decent Nike football, it probably has stories to tell. I didn’t have room for it in my day pack so it is still there.

I startled a vulture off the nest. Didn’t get any closer. Leave things like you found them.

LOTs of Jack in the pulpit and other wildflowers.

Leaving Hoggs Bluff and going North on the RR bed path.

Going down the outer bluff to the base after getting where the slope down from the RR path was reasonable.

Nice waterfall right at the start. I could hear them running from Hoggs Bluff.

This one had a curtain of water coming down from the rounded outcrop.

The point of Hoggs Bluff from the other side of the lake.

Amazing spread out Falls on what must be a pretty level shelf formation.

I reached the end of the bluff and continued along the shoreline.

last good view. I crossed the beaver dam in the stream by the RR path and headed back. The base at Hoggs Bluff was not good, but the Outer Rim bluff was excellent!