Lake 22 - Hike # 21

Date: 07/26/2008
Close by: Granite Falls
Distance (RT): 5.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 1500 ft
Time Taken (RT): 4 hrs with 45 mins at the lake
Difficulty level: 2
Things to Remember: Camera

Pictures: Click Here

Located on the Mt. Loop, Lake 22 offers a wonderful trail for all ages. The trail is easy with minor switchbacks and gradual elevation gain offering beautiful creeks and waterfalls all along until we reach the lake. The trail head is past the Mt Philchuck Road and very easy to find. There is a small parking lot that holds good number of cars. Forest pass is a must to park the cars here.

The trail is covered with lot of trees until it hits a section where it becomes rocky and opens up to a direct contact with Sun. So sun screen is highly recommended. This section of the trail has lot of wild flowers on either side of them. The last .4 miles of the trail is covered with the trees that fell apart due to the avalanches. Hikers should be extra cautious at this section. Though not tough, extra caution is recommended when crossing these logs to get to the lake.

Only the front portion of the lake has melted down. The rest of lake and the wooden walkway around the lake are still covered with snow. The cliff that surrounds half of the lake provides a beautiful view of the lake. On the way back down, we cautiously hiked off the trail for about 50 feet to see a wonderful falls, which was only partly visible from the trail.

A wonderful hike and highly recommended to everyone who wants to get out of the routine and try an hand in hiking. View the pictures and leave your comments.