Special thank you to John D. Rockefeller and the rest of the Rockefeller family for preserving this wonderful natural area and deciding to donate it for the benefit of us all.
There is a 6.6 mile loop all the way around Phelps Lake. Instead of doing the whole hike at once, I recommend you do what we did and stop at the halfway point for lunch and rock jumping, and then complete the loop. It is a mostly flat hike to the lake along well-maintained dirt trails. Tree falls provide easy fording of the swift flowing creeks leading to the lake. There was only one point across the eastern edge of the lake that the trail was washed away and we had to cross thru water up to our waists. The water this time of year was warm enough to be refreshing and this only increased the fun of the hike.
There is an absolutely perfect boulder directly at the edge of Phelps Lake that is large enough for four people to sit on top of comfortably and incredibly exciting to jump off. The boulder is about 20-25 feet above the water and has spectacular views into Death Canyon. We were the only group there for the afternoon and spent several hours relaxing, watching hawks circle the canyon, and of course, repeatedly leaping off the rock into the lake for a refreshing swim in the crystal clear water.
After leaving the rock we walked the rest of the way around the lake to complete the loop. From the far side of the canyon we witnessed a rainbow arcing beautifully over Phelps Lake. A perfect end to a perfect day.
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