Council Bluff Lake Trail July 22, 2023

Buoyed by Matt Johnson's post, in our OTSHAB Facebook group,  about clearing the Council Bluff Lake Trail, I thought I would get a little exercise and maybe stay out of trouble with the heat as today was predicted to be a bit cooler (80F). Still, after today, I am thinking about changing my trail name to Orbweb-Eater but at least there were no flies or mosquitos about today, but I was covered in webs and it wasn't until 2-3 miles from the end that I saw one couple coming the other way and he was tall enough to have cleared the rest of my way! 

It was a nice morning and drive. I left my house at 6 am as it takes about 2 hours 20 minutes to get to Council Bluff Lake. 

Leaving my house and driving through Washington Missouri

Fog from the Missouri River was thick in the adjoining fields. 

Got to Council Bluff Lake around 8:15 am. Beautiful Day about 60F 

Went around counter-clockwise today. This worked best as the sun was low facing this side, it was still nice and shaded. 

This is the joining of the trail up to the Council Bluff Campground

Lovely view out on the lake. There were already lots of cars with trailers in the boat ramp parking lot when I arrived. This lake is for boats with 10hp so not a lot of noisy traffic, just a few boats out early looking for fish. 

The trail was, indeed, in great shape from the maintenance it has received last week. By the end, I did encounter two recent blow downs along the trail

really pretty stream coming into the lake 

The Ozark Trail has a spur that comes down to the lake (beach and food) you will see later, but this is the intersection to join the Ozark Trail 

The trail takes you past the abandoned town of Enough. 

The former site of Enough. Clearly, it just wasn't enough! 😂

The Enough boat ramp is still here and the entrance was crowded with beautiful lily pads. They were all blooming and the scent was great. 

This boat ramp area is about mile 4.5. It is also at the bottom end of the lake 

Back into the woods but away from the shoreline for a few miles.

Another turtle to keep me company. So far I had only seen one person on the trail and that was just before the Enough boat ramp. It was a man with his young child in a backpack carrier and their dog. He came from the boat ramp parking area, because he didn't help with the spider webs at all! 

After a few miles you come back to a shoreline trail 

I passed the intersection to go up to Johnson Mountain. I thought briefly about going up for awhile, but decided to just continue on to the dam and spillway 

This is looking down and out from the back of the earthen dam.

The trail goes across the top of the dam. 

I did not bend the fence back! However there was no sign saying keep out, so I ventured on the spillway. 

Looking out to the end of the spillway 

You can look down and see where the high water is diverted down under the earthen dam and comes out at the bottom, back into the Big River.

the earthen dam from the spillway. 

Walking back to the gate 

The public beach, which is my next destination

Reaching the beach there is only about 1.5 miles left to get back to my truck, but I am hot, so it is time for a swim 

I didn't want to just run in the water in the midst of all the locals, so at the edge of the swim area, I found an old boat ramp with concrete going into the water. Stripped down to my shorts and walked down into the water as far as I could and then sat down and up to my neck for about 20 minutes! It was great... 

If I just laid still, the small fish would come and nibble on my arms and legs. 

From where I was, in the water, it looked like the concession stand was closed and when I approached, it looked dark, but they were in there! I got a coke and what can only be described as a high school cafeteria quality cheese burger... but it tasted GREAT!

I sat on a bench and just relaxed for another 20 minutes or so and then I was off again on the last little leg.  

Around the shoreline back to where I started. You can see some stand up paddle boarders, a sure sign you are close to the ramp. 

The boat ramp and new dock

The bridge ending my hike into the parking lot. 

A nice walk (my feet hurt! 😀) My shoes have shrunk over time with repeatedly being wet and then drying. I will need to sort that out and stretch them before any longer adventures.