Lincoln Lake- Eagle Loop

A couple weeks ago we discovered Lincoln Lake which is ironically located just outside of Lincoln. :) I have directions in my earlier post...just scroll down a bit. Anyway, when we realized what a beautiful day it was going to be, we had no doubt we needed to get outside. Even though we were just there, we were eager to hike that area again. So we headed down the road to Lincoln Lake.

Last time we went, we hiked the Piney Loop, though we regret we didn't hike it all. This time around, we decided to try the Eagle Loop.

The first several feet I was questioning our decision. There was a switchback or two which means INCLINE. Then once we had gotten up to where the trail was, the first part of the trail was an old service road. It just doesn't feel as much like hiking when it is a service road...

However, we were treated to a sign of spring!


The views of the lake were just beautiful. It was a very warm day and there wasn't much of a wind, so the lake was very calm.

We did walk along some of the bluffline. Don't worry, we keep the kids close. Mark is kind of a drill sergeant about bluffs.
We visited some of the overlooks. They were just beautiful. We had amazing views of the lake. We saw several boats out and heard a lot of geese in the area.
I really wish I knew more about flowers. We saw several of these along the path. They looked like a lily (which is my favorite flower ever) but all were "bowed" down to the ground. They were really pretty though.

You would think I would be used to it, but I cannot get over the beautiful bluffs and rock areas in our state. They are like a ready made playground for the kids and just some of the most interesting formations I have ever seen!
I actually climbed up this rock. It was like a large flat rock lying on its side. It was at just the right incline to climb up carefully but not feel scared (obviously if I did it too...I just don't have picture proof for me).
This is another view of the lake from the rock.
I should add that there were two parts of Eagle Loop. This was the lower part, and actually the above pictures are taken a bit off the path (we were encouraged by a park employee to do that...it is a big rock climbing area for real rock climbers). If you ever go, just ask me, I think I can tell you where it is.
We really thought this picture (below) looked like an elephant's head...it was a tree against one of the bluffs.
Again, I know nothing about plants, but this looked like some sort of cactus.
More of the rock formations along the trail
Since it was a loop, we ended up right back where we had started. It was a neat hike. Had we not had one really tired little boy with us, we might have had more time to explore. But it is something I wouldn't mind doing again. I know there are more parts to this trail and the other trail we have yet to see.

I would consider this one a moderate just because there were a few hills/inclines. The path is not totally clear...Joshua with his little legs tripped a lot. The overlooks were my favorite part as well as the rock climbing area. Safety wise, it was moderate too. I would be careful at some of the overlooks with kids, but that was really the only time we got nervous. The only wildlife we saw this time around was a spider and some vultures. I still give it two thumbs up...three out of four kids loved it. One was too tired to truly know. :)

Reba