Shelf Lake is beautiful, but would be even better in summer, with more color on the mountain. The views from the ridge are also nise, although I’m not sure the full circuit is worth it, as the scenery gets pretty bland (cloudless skies didn’t help).

I was really surprised to see a bull moose chilling so high up! Also a mountain goat, which I didn’t notice until going through my photos!

If you’re not looking to bag all 7 summits, your best bet is to descend right after Revenue Mountain, which will quickly connect you to the campground trails. Otherwise, Silver Mountain will be your last bailout until Sullivan Mountain, quite some distance away; just know that the terrain along that slope is extremely LOOSE, and I caused massive rockslides going down that way (cf. dusty photos).

Do NOT follow the AllTrails route past the last peak: It takes you through the trees, down one of the steepest and most dangerous slopes (as previous reviewers can attest). Instead, use the topo to route your own exit, slightly east of Landslide Peak. That slope is very gentle, with satellite imagery showing a gap in the trees at the bottom. This route is clearly visible from Decatur Mountain.

It may also be possible to descend straight down to Lake Josephine and rejoin the lower trails from there.

For anyone leaving 1☆ reviews due to lack of discernible trail, etc.: Anytime you don’t see dashed black lines along the route, it is wandering off-trail. Know before you go 🙂

Finally, road access is ROUGH. I parked my Civic (6” clearance) 1 mile from the trailhead, but faced several moments of doubt before that. In particular, the big hill 1 mile in will seriously test your driving.