Granite Lakes RoadRecent Trip Reports
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Granite Lakes Road
— May 29, 2011
— Hiker Pete
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Had planned a hike to Mason Lake Ridge but decided the avalanche danger was a bit high so decided on...
Had planned a hike to Mason Lake Ridge but decided the avalanche danger was a bit high so decided on hiking a little lower down. Ended up going on the Granite Lakes Trail, Hiked in 5 miles and stopped there and had lunch as the last 1/2 mile to the lakes was completely snowed in. Very deep and mushy snow so made it difficult to proceed without snowshoes.
This is a pleasant walk on a logging road with an elevation gain of only 2400 feet. Day hike
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail
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Who would have guessed that you need snowshoes in May to hike above 2600 ft? Granite Lakes nest in...
Who would have guessed that you need snowshoes in May to hike above 2600 ft? Granite Lakes nest in a bowl around the back of Mailbox Peak just below Dirty Harry's Peak. The gain is about 2200 ft on an old abandoned road 5.5 miles from trailhead to lake shore. Thick, slushy snow begins just after the S curves at 4.1 miles and gets up to 4-5 feet deep in places. There is lots of water running down the trail as one would expect and the shoots of new brush are sprouting in the median and along the sides. This will be a brushy trail in July!
The trail starts at a small, unmarked turnout on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road just past the Mail Box parking lot. It is barred by a blue forest road gate. The trail slogs 2.4 miles in the shadow of Mailbox before coming to a right turn to go up the Granite Creek watershed. The creek is really running high and strong right now. Cross a bridge overgrown with soft ground cover and continue a gentle climb about 1.5 miles to the S curves. From there on it is a steady straightforward gain up to a road junction. The left fork climbs steeply almost 1000 ft in a mile to the ridge overlooking Thompson Lake. You can follow this trail all the way to Mt. Defiance and beyond. The right fork goes downhill then up again to a broad opening in the trees overlooking the Granite Lakes. It's about a 100 ft descent to the lake shores but there are spots along the way to sit for lunch and admire the view. The lakes are still mostly frozen over.
Granite Lakes Road
— Feb 18, 2011
— Royce
Day hike
Issues:
Mud/Rockslide | Mudholes | Water on trail | Snow on trail
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Awesome winter hike with a lot of beauty, especially on a sunny day. A great one for solitude, I was...
Awesome winter hike with a lot of beauty, especially on a sunny day. A great one for solitude, I was the only one out there. Despite the trail issues listed, those issues don't impede on the trail itself too much. Snow starts about 1500+ ft up and gets progressively deeper as you go along. After you cross granite creek, it's all uphill and snow. You could don a pair of snow shows if so desired but with a good pair of winter tall boots or mid hikers with gaiters you'll be fine, might want some trekking poles too. At the end of the trail there is no particularly clear way to the lakes, I followed some animal tracks down to the upper lake. The lakes are pretty much frozen over at this point. Be safe, have fun
Granite Lakes Road
— Apr 16, 2010
— john deer
Day hike
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This turned out to be one of those perfect spring hikes.
First, there was fog in town which meant sun in...
This turned out to be one of those perfect spring hikes.
First, there was fog in town which meant sun in the mountains. Second, we had to push the snow envelope. We anticipated some snow but not as much and not as low. There was still continuous snow from about the 2200' level which was still 900 or so vertical feet from the lake elevation. By the time we got to the picnic bench and the turnoff to the lake, there was up to 3 feet of mashed potato-like snow. We continued the slogging and wallowing to within about 300 lineal feet of the lake where we had to search for the "trail" to the lake. There was flagging which probably marked an earlier snowshoe route. Eventually we found some brush cuts but things were still brushy to the lake. On the way out, we moved the flagging to this trail point. Third, we found a grassy oasis next to the melted out lake. The lake basin is well protected from wind and we actually sought out shade to enjoy a relaxing lunch in the quiet basin area. Fourth, it was time to see if I could drag my chubby butt all the way back to the car. Since I was able to file this report, I obviously made it. The snow should not deter people since it will probably melt out in the near future although not this weekend.
Granite Lakes Road
— Dec 06, 2009
— john deer
Day hike
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We had visions of snow shoeing on this cold crisp day but many earlier reports indicated "firm" snow conditions. ...
We had visions of snow shoeing on this cold crisp day but many earlier reports indicated "firm" snow conditions. We ended up on Granite Lakes/Creek road which starts about 1/4 mile past the Mailbox TH. There was no snow at this level (800' or less) and we did not think we would get high enough to encounter snow so - no snowshoes. I hoped this would not backfire like my last trip to Mt Washington but that is another war story. This is a road walk but one of the nicer road walks in the area. There are some territorial views at first and then the roar of the creek takes over. The road crosses the creek after about 2.5 miles and this is always a nice spot for a break. We continued up for another 2.5 miles passing some creeks with great icicle formations. This was also where the ice patches on the road started. Some of the ice was mirror-like and one could comb their hair looking down assuming they had enough hair to comb. We took another break at the picnic bench which is located at an obvious fork in the road. The upper lake is only a short distance past this point. Unfortunately we left the road too early. Who would have thought that one could brush bash through devil's club in December. There were a few short slippery boulder sections too before we came back to a perfectly good trail. At the lake, we were mostly protected from the wind and enjoyed a nice lunch. We opted for the regular trail going back to the road. On the way down, several of us slipped on the ice but only Bill did a full back gaynor which made an eerie splat sound. Farther down we found an interesting formation on some sticks. At first we thought it was a wierd mushroom. Eventually we gave it a new scientific name: boletus icicles.
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