Forest fires and road construction have kept us out of the Mallard Larkins Area for the past couple of years now, but this summer we're going in! Road construction continues on FS Road 700 to Smith Ridge, but access to the trailhead is available on weekends, so The Clearwater Trekkers are teaming up with the Great Burn Conservation Alliance for an overnight trip to Heart Lake.

We'll meet up at the Aquarius Campground at 8:00 am on Saturday, August 3rd and carpool to the Smith Ridge Trailhead by 9:00 am. You're welcome to campout at Aquarius Campground the night before. It's an 8-mile hike in to Heart Lake with a 3,000 foot elevation gain and mountain-top views that go on for days. Along the way, we'll help Ranger Joelle with the GBCA resurvey some campsites, chart weed populations, and clean up around Heart Lake. We'll head back out on Sunday, August 4th.

We are registering for this trip through the Great Burn Conservation Alliance event page, and they will be providing dinner on Saturday night the 3rd and breakfast on Sunday morning the 4th. So we pack the right amount of food, please register for this trip. GBCA trips are free, but they normally require a 100% refundable deposit of $50 to secure a trip spot. Since we are coming in as a group, The Clearwater Trekkers have been given a code to bypass this deposit. Simply enter TREKKER2024 when you register to waive the deposit. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

This is a difficult hike well worth the rewarding views and a night at Heart Lake. We recommend sturdy shoes, hiking poles, and plenty of water. We'll be hiking along a ridge, so there are no creeks to filter water from. However, there is a piped spring offering water relatively close to Heart Lake, but there is no guarantee that's it's flowing freely so come prepared. See you on the trail!