The Benson Lake Loop

"Smedberg Meadow" marks the south-east end of the Smedberg valley basin.

"Smedberg Meadow"

The Benson Lake Loop, August 2002

Down the trail plunged, at one point providing a lookout to the southwest and a spectacular view of a large meadow filled valley ("Smedberg Meadow") surrounded by small peaks and headed by Volunteer Peak. I am sure that a nice cascade would sing in the early season at the upstream end of the 1000-foot deep valley. A large lake used to be down there, formed by a glacier, but it had long since filled in and grew a deep grassy meadow. Horses and deer must love it.

After a while I made it around to the meadow outlet that featured a platform for meadow viewing, and the hint of a few old camps near the water.

Near this spot at Smedburg Lake I saw the only other person I saw in the area, to my knowledge. This was taken from near the trail looking back (SE) along the trail. It is very shallow back that way.

The way was now a canyon walk, gentle, sometimes sandy, with a grove or two of trees to walk through. In one such grove I first saw Smedberg Lake in the distance, and nearby was a shaded level camp that obviously got a lot of use. Forging ahead, I could see that the south shore did not look like it sheltered anything like a good campsite and the water in that area was very shallow with a scattering of islands.

At last the trail reached the lake edge where I found a fellow hiker (heading towards Benson Pass).