Even in early autumn, packed snow and ice may make the trail slippery close to the lake—traction could be needed.
At 6254 toes, Blue Lake sits quietly just a little more than two trail miles from Highway twenty. With towering granite peaks, forests, meadows, wildflowers, not to mention The attractive mountain lake surrounded by granite that reaches to the sky, this brief hike is well a common and will be on your ought to-hike listing.
This detour will insert about 0.3 miles on your hike, but gives far more expansive views of the freedom Bell Mountain and is a superb location to find out mountain goats!
Due to the Blue Lake Trail’s comparatively higher elevation while in the North Cascades (setting up at 5,380 ft), this place gets weighty snowfall during the wintertime and is only snow and ice-cost-free ordinarily from early to mid-July by means of mid-Oct.
If you begin to see the lake, keep on right over Blue Lake’s outlet by cautiously stepping on rocks or the makeshift log bridge. The logs can have some give, so be cautious, but when you are in excess of the creek you move an outdated dilapidated log cabin.
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Ultimately, you’ll hear the trickling of the h2o on the Blue Lake’s outlet, as you approach its shores. The trail skirts together the still left and correct facet with the lake, the latter of which has an enormous rocky outcropping.
If you’ve obtained somewhat more time and Electricity, there’s a spur trail, called the Tarn Loop, at the northwestern corner of Blue Lake, Found listed blue lake trail here.
Blue Lake is Probably the most eponymous name for any hike in Washington. With (no less than) six of them scattered round the point out, telling your pals, "I will hike to Blue Lake" might be satisfied Along with the question, "Which a single?"
With the trailhead parking lot proper off the freeway, you can waste no time getting onto the trail. Start off with a small dip in elevation to a short boardwalk. This can be the initially of quite a few shorter boardwalks you will traverse into a friendly forest. At a quarter mile, the boardwalks finish and you also Get the previous look for the freeway.
This features an unbelievable watch with the stunningly blue lake and, in the autumn, is among the finest areas to admire the groves of larches encompassing its shores.
All-around 1 / 4 mile in, you’ll start off climbing up a gradual incline. Among my preferred things relating to this trail is the fact, not like plenty of the hikes within the North Cascades, like Cutthroat Go or maybe the Heather Maple Move Loop, it isn’t overly bodily demanding and may be approachable for the majority of hikers.
Since the North Cascades freeway normally closes from November to May resulting from hefty snow and substantial slides that bury the road, couple folks expend the energy to have there, meaning It truly is among the only destinations exactly where contemporary tracks are Nearly confirmed with the Wintertime and early spring.
Open to horses, mountain bikers, and motorized autos, trail buyers of all stripes can appreciate this spot (nevertheless Every consumer has his individual designated trail to acquire there.) But you'll want to enjoy the journey too; end within the well-known basalt columns and snap a picture!