Route description
At Minnie Baker parking start your hike on Minni Baker trail for 2km/1,2mi until the trail parts into Chandler Ridge and Leicester Hollow. At this stage follow Chandler Ridge and start your hike with an ascent. Shortly underneath Oak hill continue further until the trail leads slightly downhill towards Silver Lake.
When you eventually reach the lake itself, stop and enjoy the incredible view across that unique lake. Silver Lake is not just the highlight of this tour but the speciality about the whole area. At that point you will have two options to continue your hike. First option is to turn right at the end of the lake towards the camp site. This trail will lead you around the northern part of the lake. Second option is to turn right immediately and walk around the southern part of the lake. If you choose the first option you will eventually cross Goshen Ridge trail, which you ignore and keep straight on Leicester Hollow route. If you choose the second option you will automatically get on Leicester Hollow road, which you should follow to the right.
On the other side of the hill walk straight until you cross the trail towards Churchill House to the left. However you don't take that road but keep going towards Leicester Chandler Trailhead. When you finally get there turn left and hike back to Minnie Baker parking.
Where to eat
At Silver Lake you will not only have the opportunity to get active but also to get some food.
Interesting facts
- With an overall length of 17 km the hike is among the 3 longest hikes in the USA available on TouriSpo.
- Make sure to bring sturdy footwear on this track. Hiking boots are highly recommended. If you get hungry along the way, there are places to rest and get food. Nevertheless it’s recommended to also have enough water and food in your backpack when hiking or biking.
Highlights of the tour
Since the trail leads around Oak hill and you will have to surmount some ascents, you should know the view you get awarded with will be worth the trouble. If the sky is clear you will get to see Lake Dunmore and a great panorama view of the area.
Furthermore Silver Lake itself is an absolute highlight, which you should enjoy thoroughly.
Variations
At Silver Lake you can decide if you want to walk around the south or the north part of it.
Equipment
We recommend sturdy shoes for the challenging ascents.
Getting here
Chandler Ridge trail is one of many hiking trails around Silver Lake. Therefore you have many options to start the tour. In this case you start at Minnie Baker Trailhead.
By car:
To get to Minnie Baker Trailhead by car the best way coming from Brandon is to take route 73 east. Follow route 73 for about 5,3km/3,3mi and turn left onto route 53, on which you stay for about 2,5km/1,6mi until you reach your destination.
Starting your journey in Rochester take route 100 south until you reach route 73, which you follow west for over 23km/14,3mi until you again reach route 53 and continue to Minnie Baker parking.
