Nolte State Park

A while ago, I posted about Kanasket-Palmer State Park, the first stop I made while on an impromptu motorcycle trip two years ago. The second stop was even more unexpected. Nolte State Park is only a few miles south of Kanasket-Palmer on the Veazie-Cumberland Road. Not only had I never been there before, I wasn't even aware it existed. As soon as I saw the sign for it, though, I decided to stop and take a look.

It surrounds Deep Lake which has a natural beach. It makes for a great place to go swimming. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the week, there were quite a few people there trying to beat the August heat. There is a path that circles the lake, so I took that. It gives a great view of the lake from several different angles. It also gave me a great view of the devastation from a wind storm that blew through there a few years earlier. Hundreds of trees were blown down in the area, and you can see some of them in the pictures below. But nature being as pervasive as it is, the downed trees became food for new plants.

I had nearly finished walking around the lake when I discovered there was a path that led deep into the forest. The path was easy to follow and well-marked with signs showing several of the different trees, flowers and other plants that make up the forests of the western Cascade foothills. I spent about two hours there, simply soaking in the beauty of the park. Even so, my bike was waiting for me, and there was still plenty of daylight.