Silver Bay Trail Head — Attraction in Silver Bay

Parking lot is huge and somehow it still overflows on weekends. Highly recommend coming here in the middle of the week. Barely anyone on the trail. Its a moderate hike IMO. Trail design is fun and there's always something interesting (like a viewpoint or very brief rock scramble) to keep you excited. Take the loop clockwise.

Several parts of the trail get VERY muddy, especially the eastern part of the loop. Even after 3 days of direct sunlight, there were still muddy sections.

The viewpoint with both bean and bear lake in the background is iconic and well worth the hike. None of my pictures have filters on them and are an accurate representation of what you'll see.

I have a sun tracking app - up until 2pm-ish, the cliffside will cast a shadow on the valley below. Best time to visit might be...

Poor map and the trail distance sign at the trail head is confusing. Has distance in miles for multiple "trails" but none are really marked as different trails and actually barely marked at all. Had no idea what trail we were on it just seemed like one trail. Had no idea how far until the lake look outs, no markers or info along the way. Pretty rugged hike for a couple novice hikers in their 40's and not much scenery really most of the time. Might try again but...

The Bean and Bear Lakes trail is marked with blue markers but some spots can get a little confusing. There’s generally a small square sign directing you which way is which once in a while. Moderate rocky hike, I read that clockwise around the loop is a more challenging but more scenic rewarding than counterclockwise. Get to the trailhead early for a parking spot. I had a few stopping breaks to sip water and enjoy the view but it took us 3.5 hours total...