Outbound Collective logo

Indian Heaven to Blue Lake

Skamania County, Washington

4.5/5
based on 6 reviews

Details

Distance

6.71 miles

Elevation Gain

997 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Vic Garcia

Hike in to amazing views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier. You can score a great campsite by Blue Lake. The mosquitos can get a little heavy if you go in the high season.

Crowds and mosquitoes were nonexistent as we went a bit early in the season. The trails were all covered in snow, but we were able to do some way finding with a GPS and topo map.

3.5 miles in we found a dry spot next to Blue Lake and set up shop. After dropping off our gear we climbed up Gifford Peak to catch some views of the area. We could see Mt Hood, Mt Adams and Mt Rainier along with a nice aerial view of Indian Heaven. That night we made a nice warm fire and drank too much whiskey. Falling asleep was not a problem. In the morning we did some exploring around Blue Lake before packing up and hiking out of the snowy wilderness.

To get here from Portland, head east on 84 and then cross into WA via the Bridge of the gods. Go north thru Carson and then continue into Gifford Pinchot NF. From there you will need good directions to find the trailhead - coordinates are 46.00555, -121.83761. Do your research and you’ll be fine.

If you hit this area early in the season like we did to avoid crowds and mosquitoes. It’s been said that after the mosquitoes are out for the season the place is just a pretty nightmare.

Read More

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app
Download GPX File

Features

Camping
Backpacking
Hiking
Forest
Lake
Scenic

Indian Heaven to Blue Lake Reviews

This is an amazing hike to do. There are several lakes that you will pass on your way to Blue Lake. Very beautiful all around the area. Heads up on the time of season you go because of mosquitos. Also if you are going to camp overnight I would suggest getting there early. A friend and I got a late start, and every camp site was taken. Given that all sites are spaced out to where you won’t bother your neighbors, it’s one of the best places I have stayed. The lake itself is pretty cold, yet it feels refreshing getting in. Also I would highly recommend downloading Topo Maps before you head out. You won’t have service so this is a must! Had we not downloaded our maps, it would have been very difficult to find. So good luck and adventure on!

Incredible lakes that appear at every bend capped by the gem, Blue Lake. Bugs were bad though. Really bad. On the other hand, the fish were biting!

I did a two day, 25ish-mile backpacking loop in Indian Heaven last May and it was fantastic. Relatively flat hiking most of the time, which meant we could get more distance each day. The only drawback was that it was so foggy the entire trip we could usually only see about 50 feet ahead of us. The area was still stunning and the steady blanket of fog made it a truly relaxing, serene experience (especially since we only saw two other people the whole time!) but I do feel like we missed out on some of those mountain views. We camped near Junction Lake as the biting wind coming off the larger lakes was just too cold that early in the season. Overall, I'd highly recommend this trip!

Indian Heaven Wilderness makes for one of the best one- to two-night trips of the summer! It's almost impossible to spend as much time at every lake as each of them deserves, but on a hot day there's certainly no lack of swimming and fishing holes and places to pitch your tent and stargaze. The terrain is fairly mild as well, so it could make a good destination for a family trip or a first-time backpacker. The only thing to watch out for is mosquitoes - definitely plan your trip for early or late in the summer to avoid the worst of mosquito season!

Just got back from Indian Heaven today! Five girls, 3 dogs, 3 liters of wine, ~16 miles, and countless lakes. So amazing! I'd definitely recommend getting a complete map of ALL the trails in the area. Some trails are marked, some are not and there are so many lakes it's hard to know which one you are actually at since they typically aren't marked. The bugs were bearable but bug spray was passed around pretty constantly. We saw some other groups but overall I think the distance scares off most of the crowds. We spent time at Thomas Lake (super close to the trailhead and VERY swimmable!), Junction Lake, Bear Lake (beautiful and swimmable but buggy), Clear Lake (gorgeous and great for swimming), Lemai (not much this year - very low), Blue Lake (so beautiful! Cold but way worth getting in!) not necessarily in that order. I can't wait to go back and see all of the things we missed this time around!

Mosquitoes are horrible during mid-July! Definitely go around late August!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

McClellan Falls

Camp Forlorn Lakes & Explore Guler Ice Cave

Falls Creek Falls

Panther Creek Falls

Fly Fish Lewis River, Cougar, WA

Hike to Lewis River Falls