IMPORTANT, please note ... whenever you visit a Pbase gallery for the first time, or if you have clicked on a size smaller than "original size" while visiting this or any other Pbase gallery, please be sure to click on "original" size, otherwise you will be presented with a low quality JPEG as versus the high quality JPEG (the size doesn't change, only the quality level of the JPEG compression); you only have to do this once, on the very first picture you look at.

Alternatively, on the very first picture you can add "/original" to the URL in the address bar and hit "refresh" or "go" as the case may be; again, you only have to do this once (on the very first picture). This "/original to the URL" approach is the sure-fire/no-mistake/best way to ensure you will see the highest quality JPEG presentation.

To shoot Phelps Lake (no, it's not named after the Olympic swimming star) you need to take a 1.5 mile hike starting at the new Rockefeller Preserve. The land for the preserve was donated to the park by Laurance S. Rockefeller (yes, a member of the famous Rockefeller family); he was an avid lover of nature and great photographer in his own right. Rockefeller Preserve has a beautiful visitor's center complete with knowledgeable staff to help out with any questions you might have.

Parking at the preserve is tough during the day but long before sunrise there is no competition for space in the lot. The shots in this gallery were taken at sunrise to get the best possible reflection in the lake water. Note, if you want to get good shots of the river, which you can see from many locations along the trail, I'd suggest starting your hike a half hour prior to high noon.

The hike is easy, though somewhat uphill to get to the lake. What isn't easy about the hike is a fairly high percentage of the trail has large (four to five inches) rocks that are easy to twist your ankle on. It's hard to look at the ground instead of the pretty scenery while you are walking but you have no choice in the matter.