Canyon Lake with Canyon Peak and North Canyon Peak to the west.
Because of the rain on our way in, my camera was staying safe and dry in my pack most of the time. Therefore, most of these pictures were taken the next day after the rain had stopped and the sun was out.
 5 miles to the lake on a rough and steep trail much of the way. |  Lovely beargrass blooms along the way.  Beautiful and interesting plants. |
Canyon Creek is a fairly rough trail with many rocks and tree roots in the path, plenty of up and down, and this time of year lots of water, mud, and muck to deal with. The last portion gets quite steep for the most part, with water running over rocks in the almost non-existent trail on much of it, and sections of snow that hadn't melted off yet. Because it rained most of our way in, everything was quite wet, making many of the rocks extra slippery.
When we arrived at the lake, in addition to being rainy, it was also very windy. It wasn't an ideal combination with the lowering temps (it was quickly heading from a high around 46 degrees Fahrenheit towards a predicted low of 34), so we crossed the snowfield and found a little spot to camp out of the direct wind.
At camp the wind still got pretty gusty at times, but it wasn't nearly as windy as it had been at the lake, and it wasn't constant. We set up the tents in the rain, got a fire going and cooked supper in the dark, changed to dry clothes and snuggled in to stay warm and dry while it rained and blew through most of the night.
At camp the wind still got pretty gusty at times, but it wasn't nearly as windy as it had been at the lake, and it wasn't constant. We set up the tents in the rain, got a fire going and cooked supper in the dark, changed to dry clothes and snuggled in to stay warm and dry while it rained and blew through most of the night.
 Our escape from the wind and rain during the night.  Campfire cooking for supper, breakfast, and lunch. |  We had beautiful views at camp with the creek running alongside. |
Morning came and the rain changed to snow for just a bit while we had breakfast. The clouds eventually cleared and the sun came out, giving us a chance to dry out our wet backpacks and clothing from our hike in.
We had nice sunshine without rain the rest of the time, which allowed for some picture taking and beautiful views of the lake, as well as making the hike out more enjoyable. :)
The snowfield we crossed going from the lake to our more protected campspot we found nestled in the trees.
 A relaxing view at the lake. |  View of Wyant Peak to the south of Canyon Lake. |
Enjoying the sunshine and amazing views as we descend back down the trail.
 Canyon Falls as seen from near the trail below the lake. |  The Sapphire Mtns. and Bitterroot Valley in view again. |
While I have to admit that a few parts of this trip weren't quite what I would consider ideal, I did have a lot of fun. We'll definitely have to do this again sometime when it's not raining, so we can camp next to the lake and enjoy hanging out there a bit more. :)
