Golden Trout to Muriel Lake

This off-trail route makes it covenant to visit Muriel Lake on the way to Golden Trout Lake, or even to cross the Golden Trout Trail and contour over the the main Piute Trail. The route works well in reverse. In either case, if you are on your way to or from Piute Pass, adding a visit to Muriel Lakes requires very little extra climbing. The route has some steep sections, but it is not difficult, and there are no dangerous drop-offs. The route starts (or ends) on the low ridge 30-50 yards south of the outlet stream on the north-west shore of Muriel Lake. As you descend, avoid the thick bushes near the outlet stream. Keep looking ahead for descending lengths of low grass. Occasionally you'll need to cross over short sections of rocks or talus. As you descend, you can see a pond below, a little bit to the left. Try to cross Piute Creek below the pond, where the creek is split into multiple branches. In mid-season, you can rock hop across without getting your feet wet. During the snow melt, you may want to cross the stream from Muriel Lake and then cross Piute Creek farther upstream