Esmeralda Basin (Esmerelda)
A wonderland of wildflowers (and one of the most diverse selections you'll find on any one hike) will greet you, especially June through August.
The Esmeralda Basin and the adjoining segment of the County Line trail lie in an unprotected area of the Cle Elum Ranger District, Wenatchee National Forest, just south of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The trailhead features two rustic picnic tables beneath a small but dramatic waterfall. The first 1/4 mile of the trail is a bit rough and moderately steep, following along a raging creek. The slope soon becomes much gentler, suitable for children, and the trail gradually follows an abandoned mining road up the Esmeralda Basin between Esmeralda Peaks and Ingalls Peak. Enter a lush meadow at .4 mile, where the Ingalls Lake trail #1390 heads off to the right(note: no dogs are allowed on the Ingalls Lake trail). The Esmeralda Basin trail #1394 leads gradually up through a beautiful series of wildflower meadows and woods. Enjoy glacier lillies and spring beauty early; shooting star, phlox, wild strawberries, paintbrush, columbine, and desert parsley in July. Good campsites may be found along the trail. At 2 miles the mining road heads off to the right and the trail switchbacks up the south slope of Ingalls Peak through more meadows toward Fortune Creek Pass. The next trail junction is just beyond a small stream crossing at 5900', 3.1 miles from the trailhead. Trail #1394 turns west, leading over Fortune Creek Pass and down to Fortune Creek 4X4 trail #4W301. The County Line trail #1226.2 climbs north to another lovely meadow, and then follows an old watercourse to an unnamed pass above tiny Lake Ann. It is more like a route than a trail in places. The views from the pass are grand. To the north a broad vista looks out over numerous peaks in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and to the south rise Esmeralda Peaks and Hawkins Mountain. Pine and Engelmann spruce grow at the pass (6400'), and a great campsite on the ridgeline is sheltered by spruce and a wall built up of rocks. The trail continues north from here, dropping down to Lake Ann about 250' below and then on to Van Epps Pass and 4X4 country. Round trip hiking time to the nameless pass is about 5-6 hours. Watch out for road apples--equestrians use this trail.
Driving Directions:
Exit I-90 east of Cle Elum. Take SR 970 north to the Teanaway Road. Follow the North Fork Teanaway Road to the 29 Pines Campground where the pavement ends at a fork in the road. Take the right fork, FR 9737, 10 miles to its end at trailhead #1394, Esmeralda Basin. Recent Trip Reports
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Did this hike with my 4-year old. I wanted to make it up to Lake Ann but it was too...
Did this hike with my 4-year old. I wanted to make it up to Lake Ann but it was too difficult with a kid in tow. There are three significant climbs to get up to the lake. One is mid-way between the trail head and the County Line Trail intersection. The second is right after that intersection steeply up to a basin. The third is another climb up to a ridge above the lake.
The trail was very crowded. The views are ok but not spectacular. I guess wildflowers are the real highlight. A photography club was there on a field trip. We made it as far as the basin below the climb up to Lake Ann. There were some people camping here. I decided at this point that I couldn't carry my kid all the way up to the lake and he certainly wasn't going to walk any farther on his own. A couple of additional photos here: http://www.flickr.com/jasonracey Multi-night backpack
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Wildflowers blooming
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I decided to do the Deroux/Esmeralda Basin loop (as described in the "100 Classic Hikes in Washington State") for my...
I decided to do the Deroux/Esmeralda Basin loop (as described in the "100 Classic Hikes in Washington State") for my first two night back pack trip alone. Here is an excerpt from my blog: I was amped when I pulled into the Esmerelda Basin parking lot. I had already dropped my pack 2 miles down the road at the De Roux turn off (where I would start my 'loop') as suggested on a hiking website, because there is nothing worse than hiking down to your car on a dusty old road when your ready to just be done. (which I knew I would be after two days) By the time I got my pack on and adjusted it was 6:00 pm. I knew there was a place to pitch my tent (an old horse camp) that was early into the trail, but I wasn't expecting it to be just at the end of the road...basically the parking lot. It had camp sites, picnic tables, and other people...everything I was planning on for my first night alone. But a parking lot? It just wasn't the romantic experience I had in my head. (the experience I got wasn't in my head either...but we'll get to that.)
You can read the whole thing at http://kellbell-whywouldany[…]n-esmeralda-basin-loop.html Multi-night backpack
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This was my first two night back packing trip by myself on the Esmerelda Basin loop (as described in the...
This was my first two night back packing trip by myself on the Esmerelda Basin loop (as described in the "100 Classic Hikes in Washington State" book) I decided to add this hike onto it...and I'm so glad I did. Read the whole story on my blog http://kellbell-whywouldany[…]1/09/meeting-mr-stuart.html
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Wildflowers blooming
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TRIP NARRATIVE: After considering the options, the team of two Dads and two teenage Daughters (13yo and 14yo) decided...
TRIP NARRATIVE: After considering the options, the team of two Dads and two teenage Daughters (13yo and 14yo) decided to make the trek from Seattle to Teanaway this past weekend. We arrived at the trailhead at 10:00 on Saturday morning only to find the parking lot full and the dust thick.
But having two energetic girls on the trail makes quick work of the distance, and we ascended past the Esmeralda Basin camping spots and up the switchbacks to the small plateau and meadow overlooking the valley by noon (approx. elev. 6100 ft). There are a few camp sites and a bubbling spring that makes for a nice weekend camping location. We made camp, walked over to a promontory point, and soaked in the view of the valley we had just traversed. After some lunch and some rest for the Dads, we ascended to the top of the ridge overlooking Lake Ann (elev. 6400 ft). Most dayhikers turn around at this point, seeing no reason to descend steeply the 300 feet to a nice, clear, snow-fed pond. Some intrepid overnighters did go down to check out the green grassy meadow. After an hour of enjoying the breeze and views we descended back to camp, battled the bugs, and started a dinner of more-food-than-you-could possibly-eat. Evening brought more wind on the ridges that tackled most (but not all) of the mosquitos. A short exploratory hike before bed resulted in no animal sightings, but some people sign in the form of an empty Gatorade bottle which we carried out the next morning. The wind continued to blow harder and the temperatures dropped in the clear skies. The cool night air, combined with the daytime heat and long work week sent everyone to bed by 9:15 – no star-gazing for this group!! Sunday morning brought cool temperatures until the sun blasted the ridge. We shared breakfast with the requisite mosquitos and flies, until everyone was anxious to get going (around 9:30 am). A short hike down to the intersection at 5900 feet and a short ascent to Fortune Creek Pass (elev. 6000 ft) made for a great excursion. We scrambled up one of the side hills for even more dramatic views of Rainier, Glacier Peak, and Mt Daniel. There were even some small patches of snow that resulted in a brief snowball fight. Around 11:30, we commenced the long slog downhill back to the cars. The wildflowers were out in force, with bursts of red, white, and yellow spread along the hillsides. We returned to the car around 1:00, after passing several groups of dayhikers. We stopped in some shade down the road and ate a cool lunch; then we headed home. Good trip for the four of us, and we hope to come back sometime!! TRAIL REPORT: The trail through Esmeralda Basin and up to the unnamed pass above Lake Ann is in decent shape. There are some steep parts near the top, full of scree and loose dirt, so watch your footing. The creeks are easily passable with rocks and small logs. There were a couple of muddy spots, but nothing worth noting. The trail signs and markers are in excellent shape. CAMP REPORT: The campsites were not overly crowded, as a few were still open on Saturday night. Many, however, were a bit dusty. We did not find a pit toilet, nor do we think there is one. That is too bad because the area sees enough use to warrant one. FLOWER REPORT: Wildflowers cover the slopes. I forgot the guidebook, but I think there was spreading phlox, alpine aster, red skyrocket, and common paintbrush, plus a few I didn’t know. Now is the time to visit. ANIMAL REPORT: We actually saw very few animals besides half a dozen friendly dogs (both on- and off-leash). One Dad saw a deer on Sunday, and the girls saw a couple chipmunks, but most of our sightings were of flies and mosquitos. We also identified a couple birds: gray jay and evening grosbeak. ROAD REPORT: The gravel road to from 29 Pines Camp to the end is full of manageable washboards and is quite full of dust. Multi-night backpack
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Wildflowers blooming
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Bugs
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My mom, dad, and I set out on the first Tuesday in August from the Boulder-De Roux trailhead for a...
My mom, dad, and I set out on the first Tuesday in August from the Boulder-De Roux trailhead for a four day (3 night) backpacking trip through trails in the Teanaway area. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the wildflowers were stunning...the most I have ever seen on a hike!
Day 1: We started hiking at 9:30 up boulder-de roux to Gallagher Head Lake, stopping to take pictures in the many meadows. From the lake (which had abundant shooting star blooms along with some mosquitoes) we followed the jeep track for 1-ish miles to the fortune cookie pass trailhead. NOTE: when the jeep track splits (not shown on green trails map) stay to the right, and then continue going downhill after crossing a small stream. After the pass, we took the trail to Lake Ann. Only a small traverse of snow was required, and it was soft and very maneagable. The Lake itself was beautiful, with awesome reflections, meadows, and views. A stream of 10 horses and riders arrived in the evening from the outfitter, but they did a wonderful job of maintaining the peaceful atmosphere :) Mosquitoes were present, but not too worrisome. Day 2: Starting at 9:30 again, hiked out of Ann and turned left on the Esmerelda Basin trail. Lots more wildflowers, and a beautiful hike in lovely weather. About 1/2 mile from the parking lot, we turned left up trail toward Lake Ingalls (labeled Ingalls Way Trail). Took the hot and exposed trail up to the saddle, then continued over snow (once again soft and easy to follow) towards the lake. The lake is starting to thaw, but the basin is still full of snow. An ice bridge that had been used to circumnavigate the lake on the right broke under a man and his son (neither of whom were hurt) and is no longer safe to use. The left side of the lake basin could be crossed with care, but, not having ice axes and not feeling in the life-risking mood, we descended a ways and camped on some rocks below the lake. We encountered many mountain goats near the lake. At first they had us a bit nervous, but by the end of the night, we realized they were unafraid, but also not agressive. Mosquitoes were rather thick. Day 3: Broke camp and hiking by 7:11. After a leisurely breakfast in Headlight Basin and many pictures of goats, we decided to hike down the basin to Ingalls Creek Trail. After crossing the river and scouting around a bit, we emerged into the Ingalls Creek Valley. It was STUNNING. Amazing views of Stuart and its meadowed slopes. Wildflowers were everywhere and some almost as tall as me. The trail was very brushy in places, but SO worth it. We hiked a few miles and turned right on the Fourth Creek Trail. We ascended through lovely meadows and forest and LOTS of mosquitoes to the saddle at 5600ft. where we camped. Mosquitoes, mosquitoes, mosquitoes. We ate dinner as we literally ran around camp trying to avoid the voracious bugs and jumped in the tent at 6:30. *NOTE: If anyone hikes up Fourth Creek Trail, could you please check for my Vibram Five Finger shoes? From the Fourth Creek/Hardscrabble junction, go NW maybe 50-100 yds up a small rise. You may see where we cleared a tent area. The shoes are grey and green and sitting on a tree (probably 4ft. off the ground) 20-ish ft. South of the tent area. You can contact me at mikeesl@hotmail.com Thanks!............ Day 4: For our final day, we skipped breakfast to avoid mosquitoes and started hiking at 7:15. We continued down Fourth Creek Trail, turned Right on trail 1391, and then took a left on Iron Peak trail 1399. Really interesting terrain up to Iron Pass. Lots of green rock and shale. The view from the pass was wonderful (Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams?, the tip of Mt. Stuart, etc. etc.) and the mosquitoes less voracious, so we made coffee and took a rest before the final descent to the North Fork Teanaway road and the walk back to the car. I was so pleased with the hike! Wildflowers were everywhere (queen anne's lace, shooting starts, penstemon, lupine, wild rose, indian paintbrush, avalanche lillies, and many more), snow was very minimal, and the views were spectacular. The main difficulty were the mosquitoes, but I suppose they are the price you must pay for such glory. |
Jeffrey's Shooting Stars along the Esmeralda Basin trail. Photo by Bob and Barb.
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