I finished section hiking the Goodwater Loop around Lake Georgetown this weekend.

Back in early March, I hiked from Tejas Camp to Russell Park (mile marker 11 to 16.8 on the map below). In late June, my wife and I hiked from Tejas Camp to Cedar Breaks Park (mile marker 11 to 24 on the map below). The final section was from Russell Park to Cedar Breaks Park (mile marker 16.8 to 26 on the map below), which I completed on Saturday.

Click the image above to view a larger map that you can download.

I already posted a blog with details on hiking from Tejas to Cedar Breaks, which can be found here. This post will provide a general overview of all three hikes, along with a comparison and contrast of each. At the end, I'll share one option for backpacking around the lake in a weekend.

OVERVIEW

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

Tejas to Cedar Breaks was my favorite – this is the most-popular section of the loop for a reason. It has several dramatic lake views from on top of the bluffs (seen above on the left), you can take a short side trail to view Crockett Gardens (seen above in the middle), there are two primitive campsites at which you can stop for a rest during day hikes or camp for free on an overnight trip (one is seen above on the right), and your trip begins or ends (depending on the direction you hike it) along the San Gabriel River.

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

Russell to Cedar Breaks would be my second favorite section. The lake views are less frequent than Tejas to Cedar Breaks, but you get to enjoy panoramic views of the lake as you approach Overlook Park (see above on the left) and your final mile-plus across the dam gives you outstanding views of the lake (seen above in the middle) and the surrounding area (seen above on the right).

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

While Tejas to Russell was my least favorite section, it is the easiest and shortest of the three. And it is an enjoyable hike, as you begin alongside the San Gabriel River, you have several views of the lake, and you pass the third primitive campsite on the loop (and the only one on the northern side) just over a mile before you reach Russell.

LENGTH

Tejas Camp to Russell Park: 5.8 miles approximately.

Russell Park to Cedar Breaks: 9.4 miles approximately.

Cedar Breaks to Tejas: 10.8 miles approximately.

You can create additional section hikes on the Russell to Cedar Breaks portion if you're looking for shorter options. From Russell Park to Jim Hogg Park is around 4 miles, from Jim Hogg to Overlook Park is roughly 3.4 miles, and from Overlook to Cedar Breaks is approximately 2 miles.

There are no trailheads or parks to break up the Tejas to Russell or the Cedar Breaks to Tejas sections. However, some mountain bikers we passed on the Cedar Breaks to Tejas section told us there is an unofficial side trail near the Cedar Hollow primitive campground that leads out to a neighborhood (the start of that side trail is somewhere around here).

TRAIL TYPE + SHADE

Part of the trail on the Tejas to Russell section of the trail.

Tejas to Russell: wide, double-track trail for most of this section until the last mile or so, when it shifts to the more typical trail type for the loop: single-track and hardpacked dirt with rock / gravel sections and a little bit of elevation change. This section has least shade of the three. Plan on being in the sun for all but the final mile or so. From a little ways past the primitive campground to Russell you'll hike through a mostly tree-canopied section. Everything before that final part is either fully open with few trees or with trees on both sides of the trail but either not tall enough or close enough to provide must help when the sun is higher in the sky.

A tree-canopied portion of the Russell to Cedar Breaks section.

Russell to Cedar Breaks: mostly single-track of hard-packed dirt with a lot of rock / gravel portions until Overlook Park when you begin the road walk across the dam. The elevation changes are minimal and gradual, with no steep sections like Cedar Breaks to Tejas. It's comparable in shade to the Cedar Breaks to Tejas section, though I'd say Cedar Breaks to Tejas has the most shade of all three. The portion from Russell to Jim Hogg was mostly hiking through tree-canopied trail before it opens up a bit and begins alternating between sections of open air with few trees around and canopied sections of the trail. The final part from Overlook to Cedar Breaks is a road walk with no shade, so you'll want to refill your water at the Overlook bathroom area before heading across the dam.

A tree-canopied portion of the Tejas to Cedar Breaks section.

Cedar Breaks to Tejas: wide, double-track trail for the first mile or so, before shifting to single-track, with an option to leave the main trail and hike on bedrock by the river for the last mile or so. It is the most challenging section overall due not only to the distance but also the elevation changes (three short, but steep sections to traverse). Much of this hike is either under a tree canopy or with trees close enough to the trail to provide sufficient shade save for around midday. There are a few open air sections with less shade, but overall it is the most shaded of the three sections in my estimation.

LAKE VIEWS

A view of the San Gabriel River from the Tejas to Russell section.

Tejas to Russell: You start hiking along the north shore of the San Gabriel River, with views of the lake beginning about a mile into the hike. From there, you have several distant lake views, with an opportunity to hike down to the lake at the Walnut Springs primitive campground.

One of a few lake views on the Russell to Cedar Breaks section before passing through Jim Hogg park on the way to Overlook Park.

Russell to Cedar Breaks: There are only a few glimpses of the lake from Russell to Jim Hogg, and the views increase as you near Overlook Park. About a mile before Overlook there is a side trail offering a panoramic view of the lake, with access to the water.

A portion just off the main trail in the Cedar Breaks to Tejas section where you can enjoy the view and access water to filter if needed.

Cedar Breaks to Tejas: Roughly 1.5 miles in, you can go down a slight hill to the lake to enjoy the view (as seen above). There are dramatic lake views from the bluffs around mile 2, along with several lake views through the trees throughout the hike. Around 2.5 miles in, there is the side trail to Crocket Garden Falls, which is always worth hiking the few hundred yards off the main trail to see. Finally, you have views of the lake at both primitive campgrounds (4.5 miles and 6.5 miles in) and you can walk along the San Gabriel River at the end.

WATER

Lake Georgetown seen from the Walnut Springs primitive campground.

Tejas to Russell: There is a spigot in the camping area at Tejas, and you can filter from the river for the first three-quarters of a mile or so. After that, the trail veers away from the river / lake, and the next option for filtering water from the lake will be at the Walnut Springs primitive campground.

Russell to Cedar Breaks: This section has the most water access and options. Russell and Jim Hogg both have bathroom areas that you could access if needed. I'm not sure whether the park hosts / attendants would prefer that you pay an entrance fee if you use the facilities since they don't charge you for entering to hike the trails. You can either ask them when walking through the entrance (or take an "ask forgiveness rather than permission" approach), depending on your preference. Overlook has a free-to-use restroom facility with a water fountain inside both restrooms. Other than the parks, I passed one creek with clear running water (seen above; see map location here) that you could filter from, and there is a side trail roughly three-quarters of a mile from Overlook (see here) that you can use to access the lake to filter water.

Cedar Breaks to Tejas: Other than getting water at either of the parks, there are five viable water sources from which to filter on this section. The first is the lake access you come to roughly 1.5 miles into the hike that I mentioned above. The second is Knight Spring just above Crockett Gardens – the side trail takes you to the view of the water seeping through the ferns, while staying straight on the trail takes you to the spring that flows across the trail (as seen above) where you can collect and filter water. The third and fourth options are at the primitive campgrounds, while the fifth is when you get to the river again roughly a mile or so before Tejas.

BACKPACKING

I'm sure there are a lot of options for backpacking around the lake, but the one I describe below is based on plans my wife and I are putting together for doing the full 26-mile loop sometime this winter we hope. This plan is for a typical weekend, starting after work on a Friday (possible involving a little hiking by headlamp Friday evening, depending on the time of year) and finishing around midday on Sunday. So, two nights and part of three days hiking clockwise around the lake. It doesn't require advanced reservations, since the primitive campgrounds are free and first-come, first-served (though I would note that all three are large enough that even on a busy weekend you could find somewhere to pitch your tent even if it wasn't in a formal campsite).

Day 1 (Friday): Park at Tejas and hike to Walnut Springs Camp (mile marker 11 to 15.25 on the map above) – approximately 4.25 miles.
Day 2 (Saturday): Hike from Walnut Springs to Cedar Hollow Camp (mile marker 15.25 to 4.5 on the map above) – approximately 14.75 miles.
Day 3 (Sunday): Hike from Cedar Hollow back to Tejas (mile marker 4.5 to 11 on the map above) – approximately 6.5 miles.

If you wanted your Sunday hike to be shorter, hike to Sawyer Hollow Camp to spend night two. That would extend your Saturday hike to around 16.75 miles and shorten your Sunday hike to roughly 4.5 miles.

Our family hiking the roughly 1.25 mile trail from Russell Park to the Walnut Springs primitive campground.

Finally, if you have other suggestions for looping the lake – particularly a plan that would be good for children – please share those in the comments. I haven't come up with a viable option for splitting this loop, even over a long weekend, into segments that would be feasible distances for our son (age 6) to hike each day, while also not resulting in us being either bored or frustrated sitting at a campsite for hours each afternoon before bedtime.

 This free site is ad-supported. Learn more
​