Strenuous Hike to Inspiration Point

There’s a simple joy in hiking in nature, it’s an innate pleasure to the human body. The mountain oversees the beautiful Lake Alpine a few miles from Arnold. Over the two miles it takes to climb, the full scope of the lake is slowly revealed to you. 

While the hike is fairly easy, the challenge in this hike is the altitude. The hike starts at 7,351 feet and increases 600 feet throughout the mountain. This adds peacefulness to the hike because you have to move slower than you would normally because of your shortness of breath. 

The best part of this hike is, without a doubt, the view from the top. Lake Alpine is already very beautiful, but the view of the Union and Utica reservoirs may be even better. The opposite side of the valley stretched as far as you could see and was filled with forests and streams. It reminds you of the joy that you can get from smaller things when you throw away all your stress.

One of my favorite things to do while hiking is to pick between going on an easy long path or a hard, steeper, shorter path. Of the hikes I’ve taken I believe that Inspiration Point is among the best at splits in the path. Among the best of these was one long and windy path up a hill that was around 20 feet high and you could make the decision between climbing up the rocks or walking another few hundred feet.

After a hike, you feel replenished and with a new sense of purpose. Even though this was a short hike it was a beautiful trail and showed that you can find so many interesting things if you look for them. If I hadn’t gone on this hike I wouldn’t have seen the beautiful Lake Alpine. Inspiration Point has a great balance of fun and difficulty and if you ever find yourself in the area I’d recommend you should take the detour and walk it.