Lake 22: A Favorite First Hike

Lovely Lake 22, off the Mountain Loop Highway, outside of Granite Falls, is a favorite destination for many local hikers.  It's also a great hike to introduce kids and out-of-towners to the beauty of the Cascade Mountains.

The trailhead is just a mile or so past the Verlot Ranger Station, on the opposite side of the road.  The 2.7 mile trail climbs 1,500 feet through an old growth forest, across mountain streams, and meadowy avalanche chutes before arriving at the basin.  Most moderately fit hikers can make it to the lake in an hour-and-a-half or less.  Hiking with small children, and less fit adults, can be a bit more of a challenge.  It will take a little longer, but it's always better to take a little more time and enjoy the journey than to turn a family hike into a forced march.

A huge and shaggy Western Red Cedar

Obviously, people with health issues should consult their doctors, but hiking is a great way to condition and lose weight. The trick for making the hike fun for everyone is stopping along the way, and enjoying the sights. Bring a camera.  Giant shaggy cedars, waterfalls, fiery wild flowers, birds and critters like the curious pika provide great photo opportunities along the way.  They also  provide a chance for older hikers to catch their breath and kids to rest their legs.  Remember to drink water, especially on hot days.

Lake 22 is located on the shoulder of Mt. Pilchuck which also over shadows Pinnacle, Bear, Heather lakes, as well as a number of smaller tarns, but in my opinion, the fairest lake of them all is Lake 22.  The waters are crystal clear, and snow fed into late August.  When we were there in early July, snow surrounded 2/3rds of the lake.  The boardwalk was mostly buried deep under snow still.  When we returned in late August, a fairly large snow field still remained in the shadows of the cliffs.

A bus-sized rock can make for a treacherous scramble.

Close to the water edge, flies can be a problem.  We climbed on boulders to eat lunch, but take care,  the big rocks that have crashed down from the cliffs above can be slippery when wet, and are always a little treacherous.  If you aren't confident in scrambling up the big rocks, pick a smaller one for your picnic table. Old Hiker Tip of the Week:  An old piece of blue sleeping foam adds a huge amount of comfort while dining al fresco on the rocks.  Please remember to leave no trace. The lake gets a lot of visitors and even biodegradable orange peels and apple cores leave a mess and attract rodents.

The opposite shore is actually a less rocky place to wade into the lake.

Taking in a dip in Lake 22 can certainly be refreshing.  I have gone in from both the west and east side of the lake.  A lot of folks slide in from the east side as the footbridge at the lake's outlet draws them northeast (to the left) when they first arrive.  Personally, I found a little shore on the west side (right) to be a little sandier and easier on the feet.  Regardless, I come from Nordic stock, but a few minutes in the icy water was more than enough to cool me down.  Since this is a popular family hike, please wear a swimming suit.

The hike around the lake adds 1.2 miles.  Late in the season, it is dry and easy.  Earlier in the summer, it can be snowy.  Hiking boots provide more traction and protection from sharp rocks than running shoes. Trekking poles always make a hike easier on the knees, but in the snow, they are essential.

Lake 22 is a popular hike for good reasons:  It's easy to get to, provides a solid work out with 1500 feet of elevation gain, and is a stunningly beautiful destination.  If you've never hiked there, I recommend it.  If you're looking for a great family hike, there are certainly some easier hikes nearby, but none offer the scenic pay-off of Lake 22.

Mt. Dickerman, a Challenging Day Hike

A view from atop of  Mt. Dickerman

When I was getting ready to begin my hike up Mt. Dickerman the other day, it was already warm at the trailhead by 9 AM. A young man, unfamiliar with the hike, was looking over a description of the mountain on the bulletin board.  I commented that the hike was a lot of work, but certainly worth it--360 degrees of vista on top.  Wildflowers in bloom.  He vaguely nodded in agreement.

Make no mistake, for folks not in top physical condition, the Mt. Dickerman hike is challenging, climbing over 3800' in a little more than 4 miles.  Personally, I find it more work than Granite Mountain, which has about the same total miles and elevation gain. Typically, a ratio of 1000' per mile earns a hike a rating of "most difficult."  Fortunately, for most of us, the pain ceases in 2 or 3 hours, and the rewards on top are bountiful with a panoramic view of Big Four, Mt. Kyes, Glacier Peak, and even Mt. Baker to the north.

To be honest with you, the guy in the parking lot didn't look ready for the hike.  For one thing, he was over-dressed in long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, jacket and a hat.  The trail out of the parking lot heads up immediately and generally continues that way to the top of the mountain. Cheap advice from my old friend, Dan:  "Start a little cool."  On a summer hike with lots of elevation gain, you will heat up in a hurry.  

Sadly, this young hiker also looked a little out of shape.  Perhaps too much of the pizza and beer lifestyle.   Sometimes looks can be deceiving, and I applaud his desire to take on such a strenuous day hike.  However, it  probably would have been a good idea to have built up to a hike as rigorous as Mt. Dickerman unless you find suffering to be cathartic.  I passed him about a mile up, winded and over heating on the side of the trail. He turned back without ever reaching the top.  Undoubtedly, this was not the hike for him that day.  He missed out on a great one, but I hope he tries again in a few weeks, perhaps on a cooler day.

Mt. Dickerman is a popular hike because of the stunning views from the top, and while it's a little further out than Granite Mountain, like its cousin to the north, the hike starts right off the main road.  To get to the trail head, take Mt. Loop Hwy out of Granite Falls, 17 miles past the Verlot Ranger Station.  The Mt. Dickerman parking lot is down just a bit (and on the opposite side of the road) from the Ice Caves picnic area.

Mt. Dickerman, at over 5700', is a complete hike, beginning in the valley floor at an elevation of 1500 feet. By the way, Mt. Pilchuck is only 400 feet shorter than Dickerman, but you start at over 3100 feet, so the hike to the top of Pilchuck takes most people about an hour less.  On the Dickerman hike, you climb through different ecosystems, starting among tall Douglas firs, maple, and cedars.  The trail runs parallel with the highway for a half mile before switching directions and steadily climbing to a ridge.  Before you leave the woods, western hemlock then spruce begin to dominate the forest.

The first real view point doesn't emerge for nearly an hour into your ascent.  However,  if you occasionally pause and look around, the forest holds her fascinations.  A monstrous spine of igneous rock is exposed among the trees, and one giant fir seeps pitch perfuming the shadows. In the early season, lovely trillium bloom white, then fade back in purple disbelief.

Many hikers pause here for their first view of the surrounding mountains.

The first view point is a great place to pause, drink some water, and enjoy the first vista of Big Four and the Monte Cristo mountains.  Remember to hydrate as you hike, but watch your footing as you step off the trail to snap a picture.

In a short time, you'll step out of the woods, cross a creek bed, and enjoys some relief from the relentless climbing as you meander through the first meadow.  Red paintbrush and fireweed dominate shier flowers.

After leaving the first meadow, the trail begins to ascend quickly along the edge of a cliff.  Here, you'll see the summit of Mt. Dickerman, and perhaps feel a little discouraged.  Actually, the trails aggressiveness means most hikers will be at the summit in about half hour or less.  

The summit of Mt. Dickerman 

It's easy to get the recreational hiker's version of summit fever as you lean into the hill, determined to get to the top.  Instead, stop, look, and listen in the upper meadows.  It's really okay if some peak bagger (like me as a teenager) passes you in the stretch.  It's not a race.  He'll be looking down at the dirt trail.  Your eyes will drink in the beauty of  the mountain where one half expects a young, and idealistic Julie Andrews to come singing among all the flowers.  It's also a good time to reapply the sunblock you sweated off.

The hills are more alive with the sound of jays and thrushes.

It is difficult to overstate the view on top.  360 degrees of mountains, valleys, and distant ranges. Glacier Peak, invisible from most of the Puget Sound region, displays her true magnificence here.

I enjoyed a simple lunch among the rocks and flowers of the summit.  It's amazing how good a honey crisp apple can taste at 5723 feet, especially if you arrived there by hiking.  Flies weren't really a problem that day, and the native bumble bee was more interested in the nectar of the native heath and lupine than my PB&J on Dave's Killer Bread.

Be careful with kids and dogs.  The drop off at the summit to the north is precipitous and deadly.  Exposure continues in places down the mountain, especially if you wander off the main trail.  Reaching the summit at sunset can be transcendental.  Just make sure every hiker is carrying a headlamp and a flashlight on the way down.  In 1991, Mt. Dickerman was the site of tragedy when two young athletes got separated from their high school cross-country team, and fell to their deaths on their way down the mountain.

On the way down, the main trail veers to the right. Straight ahead is actually a side trail to a view point.

On less dramatic note, hikes like Mt. Dickerman are great for advertising the advantages of trekking poles. While the way up the mountain is work for the cardiovascular system, the hike down is trouble for the knees.  Give your knees a break, and invest in trekking poles!  

Blanca Lake, A Turquoise Jewel

Blanca Lake's stunning beauty

The Cascade Mountains offer hundreds of beautiful lakes to hike in to.  A whole group of  hikers specialize in alpine lakes where they spend hours catching and releasing high altitude trout.  The most popular lakes are ones that are easy drives from Seattle including, Snow Lake, Lake Annette, and Lake 22.  These lakes are lovely, accessible, and sometimes even crowded.  A lake out of Skykomish that's a little harder to reach, called Blanca, is absolutely sublime.  Given the setting, the size (179 acres) and the beautiful color of the water, Blanca Lake has much more to offer.  In comparison, those other popular lakes are quaint and pretty.

Mt. Kyes above Blanca Lake

Blanca Lake was formed in the basin of Mt. Kyes.  Its lovely hue comes from glacial melt of the near-by Columbia Glacier.  Tumbling out of the lake is Troublesome Creek that forms the Troublesome (or Blanca Lake) Waterfalls.  Be careful if you bushwhack your way to have a peak at the falls--the footing is treacherous, and the stunted spruce that jealously guard the view can spring you over the edge if you are not careful.  Hiking with kids, I might not even let them go beyond the mouth of the creek.

Troublesome Falls

The trail to the lake is in good shape, but it goes up and down, so the 3 plus miles to the lake play much longer. The hike starts at 1900 ft then climbs to a ridge at 4600'.  It opens up a bit, and skirts Virgin Lake. Soon after hiking past Virgin Lake, you'll begin a descent to Blanca that can be steep in places. Trekking poles are a great idea for anyone over 30.

Virgin Lake

Blanca Lake's elevation is just under 4000 ft.  Obviously, this means the possibility of snow covering the trail in the early summer.  Give yourself a little extra time on the way out--remember, you have to make up the 600 feet you lost when you hiked down from Virgin Lake.  At a solid 7 1/2 miles round trip, Blanca Lake is a full day hike.  Campsites are available around the lake.  On the Tuesday we arrived, no one was camping over night.  Two mountaineers were through hiking to the other end of the lake.  They were planning some peak bagging above Monte Cristo.

To reach the trailhead, drive east on Hwy 2.  One mile past the town of Skykomish, turn left on Beckler Road (FR 65).  You'll be headed down Forest Service roads which aren't bad initially . . .

Here are the rest of the details from the WTA website:

 After turning onto Beckler, "the pavement ends at 6.9 miles. Continue north for another 5.8 miles, coming to a 5-way intersection (Jack Pass). Take the second left, the route signed as closed 3.2 miles ahead. Follow it downhill 2.4 miles. Just after crossing the North Fork Skykomish River is a junction and restricted access sign. Turn right onto FR 63 and drive 2.0 potholed miles, turning left into the trailhead parking area (elev. 1900 ft)."

Granite Mountain on a Weekday

As you climb higher, Mt. Rainier emerges in the south.

One mile in the sign points the way up.

The Look Out teases 1/2 hour away.

Granite Mountain is one of the superhighway trails for day hiking in Central Cascades. The problem for those who want more solitude is its location -- just 17 miles east of North Bend on I-90 off of Exit 47. The trail head is a minute off the freeway.  No need to navigate washboard Forest Service Roads.  

Exit, cross the bridge to the north side of the freeway, turn west, and you are there. Consequently, Granite Mountain gets a lot of visitors.  

Mt. Rainier from the Look Out.

You would think 3800 feet of elevation gain over   4.3 miles would scare some folks off, but its location attracts a lot of neophyte hikers who don't have any clue about elevation gain anyway.  Personally, I welcome the masses.  The more folks in the woods, the more people will care about protecting our natural heritage.  Naturally (and mildly hypocritically), I don't want my communion with nature trampled by an army of noisy hikers.  The easy solution: go early on a weekday.

I was at the trail head on a Tuesday in August at 7:00 and saw only two other cars in the parking lot. I encountered only one hiker on her way down.  When I asked how it was going, she replied, "Early!"

The Washington Trail Association (WTA) website has a good overview of the hike here: WTA on Granite Mountain.   As published, the first part of the hike is shaded by old growth hemlocks and the trail is great with just a few roots sticking through in places.  Once you break out into the avalanche field, the trail heats up and becomes more rugged.  Bring plenty of water.   Mt. Rainier will slowly rise over lesser hills like a winter moon.  Once you see the look out, you still have a half hour of solid work left.

If it is a late season hike, the mountain provides a good work out, and the views are magnificent. Unfortunately, you'll never feel alone in the wilderness on this hike since I-90 is visible most of the way up.  If it's the only hike you make all summer, and you haven't been running or biking, the trail will be brutal.  As a dad, I don't think Granite Mountain is a good hike for small children though I saw a few as I was coming down.  Making a kid miserable on a hike is not the way to endear them to the great outdoors.

At the lookout, leave your backpack and poles at the bottom of the stairs. Folks have actually gotten stuck with their gear, especially on a busy Saturday.  The views are amazing -- be sure to bring your camera (the one on your phone may not be adequate).  Rainier is spectacular. Glacier Peak and even Mt. Baker were visible the morning I was there.  If you're lucky, a volunteer ranger can help you identify the lesser crags.  All in all, Granite Mountain is worth the work.  Just head up early midweek.

Northwest Forest Pass and an Alpine Lakes Wilderness permit are both required.