Frog Lake Loop

Description

This pleasant jaunt gives you a chance to visit the monument, spend time at Frog Lake, and hike one of our loveliest, and newest trails, the Flat Frog Trail.  You might want to linger a while on the monument hilltop before you head down the road to Frog Lake.  At the trail junction on the hilltop, you can turn left and take a short side trip to Eric's bench or turn right and follow the short trail to the monument Sada put in place to honor her father, Henry Coe.  If you bring a lunch, you may want to search out the picnic table on the hilltop (it's at the end of a short spur trail to the north of Sada's monument), or you might want to wait and have lunch at Frog Lake.

During the spring, the wildflowers along Flat Frog Trail are often spectacular in their abundance and variety, so you may want to bring a wildflower guide (book or friend) with you.

Route

Start at the Manzanita Point Road, hike uphill a few hundred feet, and turn left on Monument Trail.  When you come to a trail junction, go straight and follow the trail till it ends at Hobbs Road.  Turn left and follow the road.

After about a mile of downhill hiking (with several pretty steep sections), you'll reach the Little Fork of Coyote Creek.  Cross the creek, turn right on the trail, and follow it to Frog Lake.

On your return trip, take the trail back to the Little Fork, cross the creek, and take Flat Frog Trail.  About two miles later, you'll arrive at "Grand Junction."  Cross the road, follow the short spur trail to the lower trail junction, turn right, and take Corral Trail back to park headquarters.

Options

You could make this a counterclockwise hike by going to Frog Lake on the Flat Frog Trail and returning on Hobbs Road.  However, unless you're in the mood for a tough workout with lots of steep uphill climbing, you'll be much better off going clockwise.