Mission Reservoir – Incredible Views and Amazing Hiking
Distance from Mt. Forge: 47 minute drive
*** Hiking Safely In Grizzly Country
The Mission Reservoir is an awesome place to go hiking, camping, and fishing. It also has an awesome trail to hike. Before you go make sure you purchase the proper permits. You’ll need a reservation recreation permit and if you fish you’ll need a fishing license.
We went out in early April and there was a fresh coat of snow on the ground. Once you get into the reservoir area go left around the water and follow the road beyond the reservoir through the woods to the trailhead. The road is very bumpy, full of potholes, and poorly maintained. I would strongly recommend a 4WD vehicle with good clearance.
The trail is steep to begin for about 15 minutes but then levels off for the most part. There’s an excellent payoff early on with a beautiful view of the Mission Mountains. The trail got pretty dense, but didn’t become too challenging. As we got closer to the falls we were confronted by a loud animal grunt off in the distance. Since we had our dog with us we decided to turn back before the falls. Overall it was a great afternoon hike.
The hike to the falls is about 3.5 miles one way with a few steeper sections. If you’re feeling extra adventurous you can continue on to Lucifer Lake which is an extreme hike that involves rock climbing.
