Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington

Most adventurers travel down Icicle Creek Road to visit Colchuck Lake and the Enchantment Basin.  But, if you're looking for an adventure for a cool summer morning without the crowds, continue past the Colchuck/Stuart forest road and explore this trail!  Expansive views of the entire Stuart range...

From Skykomish, WA drive east on SR 2 roughly 1 mile and turn left on the Beckler River Road, FS RD 65. Drive north on this road approximately 7 miles taking a sharp right at the pavement's end just before crossing the Rapid River.  You are now on FS RD 6520.  Continue on this road bearing left a...

This hike is 8 miles roundtrip, with 1600 feet of elevation gain. Once you're on the trail, it starts heading uphill to help get your heart rate up on the hike. As you enter the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the trail starts to level out. You'll cross a few streams and hike through a fair amount of ve...

Getting There From Seattle, drive Interstate 90 to Exit 62, Signed Kachess Lake/Stampede Pass. Turn left and head north over the interstate; you'll reach Kachess Lake Campground in five miles. Turn left where the pavements ends and drive four miles on Box Canyon Road (FS Road #4930) to the Rachel...

Getting There: From I-90 East, take exit 62. Take a left, heading over the highway. After 5.2 miles, the road veers left, passing Lake Kachess Campground. Go another 0.3 miles on the gravel road and take a right at a sign for Rachel Lake/Trail 1313. At this point, the road gets a little rough, bu...

Start off at Trail #1313 to Rachel Lake. The first 2.5 miles is a flat, slow uphill hike till you get to a river crossing. From there, the next 1.3 miles will be a 1,000 foot elevation gain to Rachel Lake. Once you arrive, this is a good spot to rest, eat some snacks, and replenish your water sup...

Begin at the Rachel Lake Trailhead and fill out the registry with your individual/group information.As you start the hike heading Northwest towards the lake itself, the trail begins to steadily climb from its initial elevation of 2500 feet. Once you cross the Alpine Lake Wilderness sign, the path...

This short, steep hike offers rewarding views that is well worth the vertical challenge. Round trip this hike is only 3.5 miles but you will gain 1400 feet elevation in the first mile.The trail starts off with switchbacks that head straight up the hill then about 200 feet from the wilderness boun...

This trail features beautiful wildflower meadows during the summer season and is relativity low trafficked. Bring your hammock for breathtaking views from the lookout and catch an incredible sunset. The summit has no established camping spots, so if staying overnight prepare to sleep on uneven gr...

This area is a very secluded camp area, so unless it's a holiday weekend, be prepared to be alone :) It is a very quiet lake and along the roadside there are plenty of spots to hike, camp, and fish by the lake or the Cle Elum river.So bring your day hiking gear and pole as well and head out in th...

Goldmyer Hot Springs is a beautiful little gem nestled within the wilderness of the stunning Cascade Mountains. This hot springs complex is situated on the old remains of a mining town, and delivers steadily flowing water to a set of tiered pools along the mountainside. The “cave” pool at the top...

It's an easy day hike to the Ridge of only 2.5 miles. On the ridge you can relax and enjoy the view of the surrounding mountains and a view of Leavenworth. I went into the Rangers office to ask for a good spot to take night time photos and this is one of the areas they suggested. Make sure you ge...

This is a relatively short hike, at only 2.6 miles round trip, that takes you up to the nearly 5600 foot summit. The hike may be short but it is extremely steep, gaining 1300ft in the 1.3 miles to the summit, so be prepared for a good leg workout. On the way to the top you will walk through field...

This hike gets crowded fairly quickly so get there early. The parking lot is very large so parking is not really a problem.  There are bathrooms at the very beginning of the trail so I highly suggest using them. However at the top there is also a designated restroom area. Starting at 2600 ft, thi...

This hike shares the trailhead for Snow lake at the Alpental Ski area in Snoqualmie Pass. You'll start out with a great warm up, walking through dense green underbrush and a brief wooded area. Before too long the trail increases in inclination slightly and begins to offer up some small rocky sect...

For this hike, you park at the same parking lot as the Snow Lake hike. The trailhead to Snoqualmie Mountain is an unmarked trail just 30 feet or so before the Snow Lake trail. This is a tough hike even though its only a ~4 mile out and back trip because you gain 3100 feet to reach the summit. Th...