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Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Heather Lake (near Lake Wenatchee)
Hemlock or Huckleberry would be a more suitable name for this lake, as you'll be hard-pressed finding heather growing along the shores of this backcountry beauty. A misnomer yes, but a lake you'll not want to miss. Cradled beneath knolls of meadows along the Cascade crest and set in a deep forest of primeval proportions, Heather Lake is a pure gem. And the trail is a near delight! But you won't be alone here, as plenty of your fellow hikers are well aware of all of this.
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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Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Blowdowns | Water on trail | Snow on trail
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It was raining in Bellevue around 7:00 AM in the morning. When we were passing Stevens Pass, it sle...
It was raining in Bellevue around 7:00 AM in the morning. When we were passing Stevens Pass, it sleeted. As we expected, the sun peeked out near Wenatchee Lake. We saw some hunters with rifles on the way to the trail head. From FR 6701, there are many potholes on the dirt road. Unlike in the summer, they were very visible due to rainwater in them. When we arrived at the trail head, we could see some snow on the ground. We came to the Heather Lake trail in June 2009. We had to turn back about a mile before the lake since we could not find the trail due to a couple feet of accumulated snow. We were wondering it would happen again due to the snow. As we go up, the trail was covered with snow. When we got to the same place we turned around two years ago, we could not find the trail anymore. The snow pushed down small trees and the trail was not visible at all. We walked around and were lucky to found the trail again about 30 yards from where we stopped. We finally made to the lake. We barely took a few pictures and turned around without having lunch since it was cold and the wind was strong. On the way back, we found a huge tree on the trail blocking us. We did not see that tree on the way up. We were puzzled but soon figured that the tree fell after we pass the trail. We met a few ladies on the way down. They obviously followed the tracks we made on the snow. We went down to the bridge crossing the creek and had lunch there. It was raining again. Canadian maples on FR 65 showed bright yellow. When we crossed While River at the end of Wenatchee Lake, it was sunny and the fall color on Dirty Face was amazing. We saw all in one day – beautiful fall color, whispering rain, white snow, the shining sun, and the dark-colored lake.
Overnight
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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Left on a beautiful Thursday planning to hike to Glasses Lake alone by way of Heather Lake. The firs...
Left on a beautiful Thursday planning to hike to Glasses Lake alone by way of Heather Lake. The first mile and half of the trail is very level through great old growth forest. After crossing Lake Creek on a large bridge, the trail begins to ascend, at times steeply but very manageable. Not far before the lake the trail levels out. Where the trail again meets the creek, it seems at first that it might cross the creek, but instead it turns sharply to the right, so look out for it. There are many blueberry bushes along the trail, but there were very few ripe berries when I was there.
The trail soon reaches Heather Lake with a beautiful view down its length.Large granite slabs are there perfect for laying back on and resting. After crossing a log jam at the outlet, I picked up a rough way trail on the left shore. After about a half mile the trail reached a dry creek bed, where, on the other side, I found another faint path leading to the left and upward. Another half mile of (at times) rough scramble brought me to Glasses Lake and complete solitude. Glasses Lake is a gem, but there are few campsites that are easily reachable. I camped near the outlet. After setting up camp and resting, I followed a rough path to the right of the lake to a group of avalanche boulders. Scrambling up the boulders I came upon a boot beaten path that led me steeply to the ridge top above the lake and the Pacific Crest Trail. Following the easy path north leads to nice views south to Mt. Hinman and Mt. Daniel, and west to the peaks of the Wild Sky Wilderness. A little farther on the trail breaks out to great views of Glacier Peak to the north and the mountains to the east, with Heather Lake below. I awoke to a cold and windy morning the next day, but it soon warmed and I left for home, the hike down the way trails almost as difficult as coming up. But then I reached Heather Lake, and it was easy hike back to the car. All in all a great trip to a beautiful part of the Henry Jackson Wilderness. Overnight
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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This time of year, the weather was very nice. It was about 80F at the hottest point of the day. This...
This time of year, the weather was very nice. It was about 80F at the hottest point of the day. This made the climb to Heather Lake easy.
My 3-person group left the trail head at 9:00AM. We hiked about 2 Miles through relatively level terrain. The trail was very dry and we were all surprised when we didn't get bit by a single bug. There were a few parts where roots were obstructing the trail, but that wasn't a problem. The remaining mile was almost entirely uphill. Our group had two inexperienced hikers and it was just enough for them. Kids would not have too much of a problem getting up here. When we got to the lake, the view was beautiful. And there were plenty of places to camp. On the way up we saw three groups heading down the mountain. When we got to the lake, there were no other groups but us. The solitude was fantastic. We made camp by a creek draining over some fallen logs. There were trees between us and the lake. It provided shelter against the wind coming off the lake at night. But we braved them to see the Milky Way in the night sky. The next day we went for a swim. If swimming is on your mind this time of year, I'd think about going earlier in August if I was you. The water was cold, but bearable. Later that day we refilled out water bottles, filled our SD cards and headed down the mountain. Descent was easy and we made it back to the trail head on about an hour with only one break. I highly recommend this as a family trip in early August because the swimming is superb! Go sometime in the week so there are no other hikers. Don't forget a camp stove though. They don't allow fires.
Heather Lake (near Lake Wenatchee)
— Aug 07, 2012
— Washington Trails Association
Day hike
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Trailhead parking and trail access will be closed Sept. 9, 2012 (probably for at least a month) for ...
Trailhead parking and trail access will be closed Sept. 9, 2012 (probably for at least a month) for construction of a new parking area.
For more information visit: http://www.fs.usda.gov/[…]/?recid=58791 Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mudholes | Bugs
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Thought as we were driving on this remote forest service road there would be no one at the trail hea...
Thought as we were driving on this remote forest service road there would be no one at the trail head. To my surprise there were about 15 cars and the Forest Rangers truck. So much for being alone. Although I do take comfort in passing hikers and asking how the trail is and any pointers on the way.
Trail was in great shape. A few little bridges to cross before the main steel bridge built in 2003 and the beginning of the Henry Jackson Wilderness and the start of the "Mini Mailbox Peak/Goat Hill" climb. The trail climbs steadily from the last bridge and continues for 2.25 mi. to the lake. Take a rest at the ledge at about the 2.3mi mark with only about another 1.25mi to go to the lake. It does even out prior to the lake so keep plodding along after leaving the ledge. Once at the lake there are great places for overnight camping and some nice big sloped rock ledges for lunch views of the lake. If you are feeling like the 3.6mi up from the trailhead still isnt enough for you head towards the left side of the lake and cross the log jam and look for the trail that goes along the lake. You need to keep your eyes looking down in order to see the trail amongst all the blueberry bushes but there is a trail. You will have to scramble over quite a few down trees as well. Once you hit the main creek towards the end of the lake start looking for the trail that cuts left and this will take you another 0.85 mi up to Glasses Lake. The hike to Glasses Lake is worth the reward of more scrambling along a trail that is hard to see but it is there. This is also a trail not for dogs so leave them at Heather Lake. There are a few places that have a little snow patches left but easily traveled. Also there is a place that requires you to cut up thru some rock ledges as well but it is manageable. Finally as you reach the top and scramble over the last ledge Glasses Lake appears. A typical alpine lake with snow still around its edges. So from Heather Lake to Glasses Lake is another 1.85 mi one way. Also, my GPS says that the Heather Lake hike is actually 3.6mi one way and not the 3.25 mi that the WTA site reports. I trust my GPS. Round trip to Heather Lake should be more like 7.2mi and if you scramble up to Glasses Lake and back its a round trip total of 10.9mi. I saw kids, dogs, seniors on this hike so even though it is a tough hike in spots it is certainly a hike that many age groups can do. Flowers/Trees seen: Queens Cup, Valerian, Foam Flower, Jeffrey's Shooting Star, Bunch Berry, Heather, Old growth Douglas Firs, Silver Firs, Trillium, Marsh Violet, Devils Club, Cow Parsley |
 Heather Lake. Photo by 'Physics hiker.'
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