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In this short ride, you get the opportunity to get down close to the waters of Lake Pleasant where you can relax while you enjoy the serene view or throw out a line to catch some fish.
You begin by turning right of SR 74 onto Castle Hot Springs Road. After a few miles, turn left. Shortly after this turn, the road should become dirt. Continue on the more traveled road as it goes to the right. After crossing a bridge over the Lake, turn right. Straight leads to the Castle Hot Springs trail and right is the Backway to Crown King Trail. Parking here would be best. Once on the trail, it is only 0.68 miles to the turnoff to the right for this trail. Once on the trail, turn right at the ‘T’ and at 1.06 miles stay left. At 1.86 miles you can take either way but to the left will take you out more into the middle of the lake offering greater views. The trail ends at roughly 3.3 miles, however it depends on how full the lake is. If the lake level is lower, the trail may go on for a little bit more but the opposite if it is higher. After getting some good pictures and maybe stopping to kick back for a little while, you can check out some of the trails that branched off from the main trail. They lead to other coves, which are great places to cast a line.
Trail condition (as of June 2009) Cow Creek Road is in good condition and the main trail is in good condition. Round trip is roughly 7 miles but allow for 2-3 hours if you relax.