The first thing you notice as you approach Blue Mountain Lodge is that it fits. Natural materials blend with the shoreline. The use of windmills and solar panels seems simultaneously modern and timeless in this setting.

After checking in and getting oriented, I decide to undertake Hill Top Trail, a short but steep little climb that starts just behind my cabin and ascends to a terrific view south and east over Bell Lake.

You can't quite see Silver Peak from here. Silver Peak is the far more ambitious climb that I have (sort of) planned to tackle during my visit; it is in fact the highest point in the Park.

While the top of Hill Top Trail is nowhere near the highest point in the Park, it is a terrifically doable little climb, even after a day of paddling, that I will return to more than once. And the view of Bell Lake is terrific.

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