Blowhole at the waterfront of Xcaret Park near Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Toluca on December 24th!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Branch Pond Look-off Trail

This a fairly long hike, at 7.0 kms one way. So it's 14.0 kms (8.8 miles) return. It follows an old fire access road that used to go all the way to Lake of Islands, which was 12.5 kms one way, but that section is no longer maintained and we found it mostly overgrown. We give this trail a 6.5 out of 10.

This hiking trail is also classified as one of the few that is also a a mountain bike trail. So the fact that it is also accessible by ATV's doesn't bother us as much on this particular trail.



At the beginning of the trail

View from the first overlook.

After the first overlook, the trail is less used and becomes quite muddy in spots. There is an emergency shelter around the 6km mark.

The trail is a little damp in spots!

The view at the end is nothing special.

At the end of the 7.0 kms, there is nothing. Not a sign, nothing. There is an old gate that used to block off the section that goes on further to lake of Islands, but it is now very overgrown.
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10 comments:

  1. our awesome travelsJune 16, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    Another good hike getting closer to your goal. Good luck.

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  2. Roadrunner ChroniclesJune 16, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    Looks like a nice day for a good hike.

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  3. Chuck and Anneke's RV travelsJune 16, 2011 at 8:53 AM

    If that spot is "damp", I would not want to hike in a wet area :)

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  4. Sue and DougJune 16, 2011 at 11:29 PM

    another great hike..at least this one has a rest stop in the middle!!

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  5. Kevin ReadJune 17, 2011 at 7:36 AM

    George and Suzie...Today will be our last one and this one will put us well over the top.

    Randy and Pam...Other than the weather it was a great day.

    Chuck and Anneke...No, we couldn't complain about this one being to well maintained. We were wondering if it drys up in the summer as it is very boggy here. The trail to the first lookoff was in good shape it was the actually the last 1km (.6mi)to the second lookoff that was so bad.

    Sue and Doug...That shelter was a nice break from the cool wind and the raindrops coming down. Several of the longer hikes have these shelters, I think they are a good idea.

    Kevin, Ruth and Whiskey

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  6. AnonymousAugust 19, 2012 at 6:59 AM

    Hiked this trail on Aug. 6 2012 on a hot and humid day. The sun was on us the entire hike. Being a dry year in Cape Breton the trail was very dry, but loaded with blueberries. I agree that this hike is long with nothing special for views.

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  7. UnknownJuly 14, 2014 at 10:42 AM

    Did you continue on to "Lake of Islands" at the end of the trail? I'm curious what the view is like there.

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    Replies
    1. Kevin ReadJuly 14, 2014 at 10:54 AM

      No. As we said, that section at the time was not maintained, and unless we were at the wrong spot it looked mostly overgrown.

      Delete
  8. DROLLSSeptember 8, 2015 at 9:21 AM

    This trail is best enjoyed on a mountain bike. A long steady 7km climb on the way in means a rip roaring 7km descent on the way out. Just hang on and enjoy the ride!

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    Replies
    1. RuthSeptember 9, 2015 at 9:15 AM

      It was way too wet and muddy for a bike ride when we were there, glad you had a fun ride on you way back down!

      Delete

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