Loop trail lake Köyceğiz and its forests and wetlands.

This track combines a hike published as "The ECO Trails: M2 - Köyceğiz-Nasuhdede" with a walk along the Köyceğiz lake. We will pass over a hill with a lot of forest, than walk through some wetlands and follow the lake side to finish it up. Scenic views a plenty!

The starting point of the walk is right next to the D400 Muğla Fethiye karayolu. We can park the car in a free space next to the road. From there we walk a very short stretch on a dirt road before we keep left and start to follow "The ECO Trails: M2 - Köyceğiz-Nasuhdede" This route is marked with white and red stripes, which helps us to find our way. We sometimes walk on really narrow trails through the forest, and therefore it is sometimes a bit complicated to know where to go. But if we pay close attention to the signalling and follow this gpx track as precise as possible, it should be possible to walk this stretch without insurmountable problems.
Our route rises a bit up a hill and we follow a kind of ridge (there are no deep abysses or steep slopes) that is mainly covered with pine trees. At a certain moment we walk a bit over the flank and we have a beautiful view over the Köyceğiz lake.
If you look closely around in that area, you will see the tents made by larvae of the Pine processionary in the trees.

Pine processionary - Take care!
The pine processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) is a moth of the subfamily Thaumetopoeinae in the family Notodontidae, known for the irritating hairs of its caterpillars, their processions, and the economic damage they cause in coniferous forests. It is one of the most destructive species to pines and cedar in Central Asia, North Africa and southern Europe.
The species is notable for the behaviour of its caterpillars, which overwinter in tent-like nests high in pine trees, and which proceed through the woods in nose-to-tail columns, protected from predators by their severely irritating hairs.
The species is one of the few insects where the larva develops in winter in temperate zones. Global warming is causing the species to affect forests progressively further north. The urticating hairs of the caterpillar larvae cause harmful (and in some cases allergic) reactions, in humans, dogs, horses and other mammals.
(source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_processionary )

So make sure not to touch the nests and it is advisable not to sit under a nest. At this point we are pretty much at the highest point, also of the hike. From here we start descending on easy dirt roads, and we leave the signalled track. Not long after we arrive at a few houses and a mosque. We can sit near the mosque and there is also a water point. We are now back again on the indicated track, "The ECO Trails: M2".

When we have passed this hamlet the landscape is very different. There are grasslands and open areas and it is completely flat. At a certain point we come to a fairly new-looking house where it is somewhat difficult to understand where our route continues. But if we look closely we see that there are also signals with white and red stripes here and that we have to walk around the house on the right side (waypoint: "Keep right before the house").
Then the route has another surprise in store for us: we have to cross a stream. We have to take off our shoes and wade through a bit of water to get to the other side (at least that was the case in January 2023, maybe it will be dry in other seasons).
Shortly afterwards we arrive at a special archaeological site: an old tomb with next to it a cemetery with ancient graves. Then the route crosses another area with forest to reach an unpaved road that we will follow towards the lake. At this point we leave the route "The ECO Trails: M2" for good.

Before we get to the lake, the dirt road follows a stream for a while, but eventually we arrive at the shore of the lake, which we continue to follow until we return to our starting point. On this stretch we come across some places where there are some benches, sometimes even covered.

Some additional information:
The route is designed in a clockwise direction.
Time spent: total = 6 hours 11 minutes of which moving = 3 hours 23 minutes
There are picnic tables after 6 km along the lake
There is drinking water after 3,5 km at the mosque.
The track is medium from a technical point of view. The walking itself is usually quite easy, but finding the route can be a challenge for those with little experience in navigation.
Presence of signals with white and red stripes
From km 0,3 > 2,7 and from km 3,4 > 4,7.

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