Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Heather Lake (near Lake Wenatchee)
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Central Cascades,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Starting at the edge of an old clear-cut, the very well-constructed and well-maintained trail immediately enters a forest of big, beautiful ancient giants. You may end up agreeing with me that as worthy a hiking objective as Heather Lake is, this old-growth forest rivals it in beauty and majesty. The first mile or so of this trail is pure pedestrian delight, gaining nary a foot in elevation. Cross side creeks and weave beneath towering hemlocks. At about 1.5 miles reach a heavy-duty bridge spanning Lake Creek as it cascades through a small gorge. The bridge was constructed in 2003, relegating the old log-jam crossing of the creek to the annals of hiking history. Soon afterward, enter the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness and finally begin gaining elevation. The way turns steeper, but a cornucopia of ripe huckleberries may slow you down more than the grade. Pass a small ledge that provides a good glimpse out to Labyrinth Mountain, and then continue the upward momentum. Eventually the way levels out once more and Lake Creek returns to your side. At 3.3 miles reach 3950-foot Heather Lake near its outlet. Stake out your spot on one of its polished, sun-kissed shoreline ledges and savor the surroundings. Grizzly Peak bears down from above. Ripples brush up against giant cedar logs. Alaska yellow cedars drape the shore. Not a heather in sight, but what a sight!
Driving Directions:
From Everett head east on US 2 for 85 miles to Coles Corner. (From Leaven-worth travel west on US 2 for 15 miles.) Turn left (north) onto State Route 207 (signed for Lake Wenatchee) and proceed 4.2 miles to a Y intersection after crossing the Wenatchee River. Bear left onto North Shore Road. At 7.6 miles, after passing the ranger station and crossing the White River, the road becomes Forest Road 65. Continue west on FR 65 for 4.7 miles, turning left onto FR 67. After 0.4 mile turn right onto FR 6701. Continue for 4.7 miles, turning left onto FR 6701-400 (signed "Heather Lake T.H."). Drive for 2.4 miles to the road's end and trailhead (elev. 2700 ft). Recent Trip Reports
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44
trip reports for this hike.
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Heather Lake (near Lake Wenatchee)
— Aug 27, 2011
— DestinationUp
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mudholes | Bugs
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A four day camping trip at Lake Wenatchee can mean only one thing: time to take a day hike! ...
A four day camping trip at Lake Wenatchee can mean only one thing: time to take a day hike! My awesome husband wrangled the kids while I took the Wonder Pup to Heather Lake. And since I'd just done Lake Janus, why not approach things from the other side?
I was a little unsure, because everything I'd read suggested Crowds. You know, like you'd find at The Other Heather Lake off of the Mountain Loop. And this was a delightfully sunny Saturday. Boy, was I surprised! TH is a little less than an hour from Lake Wenatchee State Park. There are enough potholes/washboard that a high clearance vehicle is a slightly better choice. But it's definitely not a showstopper. I was car #6 at the top of the road, and most of the other folks were out backpacking. So I functionally had the place to myself (insert wild cheers). The first half of the trail is as advertised...a lovely ramble through old-growth forest. There are two bridges: the first is a solid log bridge with good traction, and the second is described above. If you're hiking with Bowser, this is also the last water source until you rejoin Lake Creek. The next 30% of the trail are where you gain the majority of your elevation. Nothing exciting, just steep and occasionally rooty. The last little bit is cresting the ridge and dropping into the lake basin. For a short period, I had Heather Lake to myself. Another small party came along, but hiked further along the lake. Gorgeous, crystal blue, with a light breeze, which helped deter the flies (until I broke out my lunch). A couple of notes: Bugs: I used 40% DEET, and reapplied twice. I wanted something a bit stronger when I was sitting still on the lake edge (mostly away from trees). The Wonder Pup is on a flea/tick/mosquito regime, but he managed to get a few bites too. Berries: A handful of embryonic hucks were visible...I'm talking less than a millimeter across. I'm not sure what the bears are going to do, and I'm even less sure I want to be hiking when the hucks DO show their faces. Blowdowns: Only a few on the upper section of the trail. Mud: In a few spots. Didn't go boottop, but came close once. Wildflowers: Huh? What? Where? Terrific hike: Oh, yeah :-)
Heather Lake (near Lake Wenatchee)
— Jul 30, 2011
— J.Yo
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Bugs
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Nice hike. Trail is snow free and in good condition. Some bugs at the bottom, but not too...
Nice hike. Trail is snow free and in good condition. Some bugs at the bottom, but not too bad. One or two blow-downs, but easy to get around/over. Road in decent shape. We day-hiked, but there were a few families camping at the lake.
Heather Lake (near Lake Wenatchee)
— Jul 09, 2011
— SaucyB
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Snow on trail | Road to trailhead inaccessible
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the road to the trail has a short section where the road is damaged. a subaru outback was able to...
the road to the trail has a short section where the road is damaged. a subaru outback was able to get over this , and other vehicles with a higher carriage will probably be fine. we saw a civic parked by the road so not all cars will want to try this. it's probably another mile to the trailhead.
there were several huge trees down on the first leg of this trail. it was possible to get around them, but they did block the trail and required some maneuvering. last third of the trail has pretty significant snow. hardy hikers will not have much trouble with this but if you don't like hiking on snow, this might not be for you. also: it's tricky to find the trail to the lake. for those who do make it to the lake: you've earned a beautiful lakeside picnic spot. for the less intrepid: many great bridges, fantastic waterfalls along the way to enjoy and stop at. Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage | Ripe berries
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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Saturday was a beautiful day for a hike up to Heather Lake with our two children (5 months and 2...
Saturday was a beautiful day for a hike up to Heather Lake with our two children (5 months and 2 years) both in backpacks. Our two dogs loved the trail and were tired by the end. There were lots of places for them to cool off and drink water.
There were areas of mud on the trail and dew on the leaves of the huckleberry brush at the start but nothing too bad. The trail is mainly in the forest so it we were almost always in the shade although there was a warm breeze that kept it pleasant. We saw bugs along the way but didn't get a single bite. Steep climb in the middle of the hike which was a little challenging (especially with 20-30lbs on your back) but slowly we made it to the top. We munched on a few blueberries and huckleberries but they were pretty few and far between. Lots of fall colors to enjoy along the way. The lake was beautiful and shimmery with the sun. Some bushes had started to turn color on the hillside but nothing too specatular yet. A man was fishing, but didn't seem to catch anything. There were lots of little trails and flat areas for our two year old to enjoy, but we had to be careful near the large flat rocks that slope into the lake. Day hike
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I have hiked this trail many times and it's a favorite of mine. This time my husband and I...
I have hiked this trail many times and it's a favorite of mine. This time my husband and I went with a couple friends of ours who are fairly inexperienced hikers. There is part of the trail that gets kind of steep, so we stopped a lot this time on the way up. The weather was overcast and rainy; quite cold when we got to the lake.
The trail is in good condition. We found a few ripe huckleberries, and a couple patches of green ones (I don't know if they'll have a chance to ripen before it freezes), but mainly the huckleberry bushes just didn't have many berries. It's not a good year for them in this area it seems. Encountered another group (large family) that had hiked up the day before and spent the night at the lake. They were starting on their way down just as we were arriving at the lake. They had fishing poles with them but said they didn't catch anything. The road to the trailhead is easy to drive and there is ample parking at the trailhead itself. We always stop at Rainy Creek campground to use the outhouse on the way there, since there isn't a privy at the trailhead. No parking/forest pass of any kind is required at this time. |
Heather Lake. Photo by 'Physics hiker.'
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