Some friends and I hiked Beehive Basin this past weekend, and it was a beautiful time of year for it. There were plentiful wildflowers along most of the trail, and we followed a small creek (I don’t know the name and it’s unlabeled on the maps I looked at).
![Looking downhill at a stream, with fir trees behind it. On the slope in the foreground are abundant wildflowers of all kinds.](https://www.thomasreedphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TAR_9454-1024x682.jpg)
Near the end of the trail is a beautiful mountain lake, framed by rugged cliffs, in the middle of a grassy meadow littered with rocks and wildflowers.
![A small lake in a grassy meadow. Behind the lake are rugged cliffs.](https://www.thomasreedphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TAR_9477-1024x682.jpg)
However, this is not the end of the trail! You’ll be tired at this point, but it’s worth the effort to continue around the lake and up the hill beside the large gneiss outcrop (seen to the left in the above image). The trail up winds alongside a beautiful little creek framed by wildflowers.
![A tiny waterfall behind wildflowers](https://www.thomasreedphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TAR_9486-682x1024.jpg)
Continuing along the trail, it’s worth taking a side trip up to the top of the gneiss outcrop. There you’ll find a spectacular view of the basin with the mountains in the background. If you have the right conditions, the lake will reflect the sky nicely!
![A mountain lake seen from above, with dramatic clouds reflected in its surface. Mountains can be seen in the background.](https://www.thomasreedphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TAR_9492-1024x682.jpg)