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Heather Lake

Last modified Feb 28, 2010 07:44 PM
Contributors: barb
Don't expect to find much heather growing along the shores of this pretty little subalpine lake. That ubiquitous mountain shrub is pretty hard to find on this hike. But what you can expect to see along the way are some mighty fine old cedars. Expect, too, to be serenaded by babbling brooks, wooed by fine views of Mount Pilchuck's craggy, rocky north face, and charmed by Heather's placid waters. Don't plan on being alone here, however; this easy trail is one of the premier stomping grounds off of the Mountain Loop Highway. On a sunny summer weekend, you'll likely encounter the entire spectrum of the hiking world, from old-timers to neophytes and everyone in between.

Heather Lake Trail No. 701 takes off into a crowded forest of second-growth fir. Colossal cedar stumps punctuate the forest floor, testaments of the impressive ancient forest that graced these slopes not too long ago. On rocky but good tread, the trail winds its way through the dark woods. A few frothing streams help break the bleakness.

After a short burst of climbing, the trail merges onto an old woods road. The grade eases to round a ridge. Soon, however, it's once again up you go. The trail then enters a cool ravine-Heather Creek tumbles below, giant old-growth cedars tower above, and bountiful boughs of ferns grace the forest floor. Your new dynamic surroundings are quite a contrast to the woods you first entered.

Cross a few more creeklets and traverse a few openings in the primeval forest. After about 1.75 miles, climbing ceases and, on a slight descent through another impressive grove of ancient giants, the trail approaches Heather Lake. At 2 miles you'll find the tranquil backcountry lake tucked in a semi-open cirque beneath Mount Pilchuck. A loop of 0.6 mile circumnavigates it. Follow it to experience the many facets of this little lake, from its jumbled boulder fields to its marshy meadows. Notice, too, the presence of yellow cedar and mountain hemlock, trees usually more associated with higher climes.

Consider a visit in midfall, when tangles of vine maple add a crimson touch. Winter is also a delightful time to visit, but stay away from the lake's southern shores, where avalanches careen down from Pilchuck's steep upper reaches.
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Recent Trip Reports

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There are 132 trip reports for this hike. See all trip reports for this hike.
Heather Lake, Boardman Lake — Jan 24, 2010 — Donald Shank
Day hike
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A beautiful morning for an April hike...in January. The trail through the forest was 45 degrees, high clouds but no...
A beautiful morning for an April hike...in January. The trail through the forest was 45 degrees, high clouds but no rain so quite comfortable in just a fleece jacket, which I had to open to vent the heat of the 1100' climb. The trail was snow free all the way to the lake.
The trail around the lake was mostly snow free, but watch out for the few patches on the west and south sides of the lake. The snow has thawed and frozen again, and it has been polished to glass smoothness by the boots of many hikers. Take care and stay off it when you can.
The wind kicked up on the south and west sides as well, making it feel more like it was 25 degrees, so we stopped to put on another layer. An interesting sight on the lake's south shore was a stand of trees that had recently been snapped in two about 10 to 15 feet up their trunks. There were no boulders, and there sure hasn't been enough snow for an avalanche to have done that this winter, so I think that it may have been a microburst, a very localized column of sinking air, producing damaging divergent and straight-line winds at the surface that can snap a two foot diameter tree like a twig. Standing in the brisk wind at the bottom of this bowl, looking up at the steep cliffs, I was thankful that today's wind was only a stiff breeze.
It was still early when we got back to the car, so we decided to take in the short trip to nearby Boardman Lake. After stopping in 1/10th of a mile to view scenic little Evan Lake, we climbed 300' in 3/4ths of a mile in a light snow. I think this trail and destination were both prettier than Heather Lake. I almost passed it up because it was too easy. Most of the time it doesn't seem like a "real" hike to me until I've invested some sweat and toil to earn it, but I was glad I talked myself into it.
It began snowing pretty heavily at the lake, big feather sized flakes, so we headed back down. By the time we hit Granite Falls we were driving in steady rain, but I'm happy to say that I didn't feel my first raindrop until I was in my own driveway. I'll chalk today up as a victory!
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Heather Lake — Jan 10, 2010 — terpene
Day hike
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The last time I did this hike it was so foggy that I could barely make out the other side...
The last time I did this hike it was so foggy that I could barely make out the other side of the lake, and Mt. Pilchuck was completely hidden in the clouds. This time it was clear and even relatively warm, and I got to see all that I missed previously.

The gravel road is clear and in good condition to the trailhead, and the trail itself is in good shape if watery. No ice or snow appear until about a quarter mile from the lake.

Hiking around the lake is possible right now, though I wouldn't get too close to the headwalls surrounding much of the lake. As I was taking a few pictures, a good-sized rock let loose far up the shoulder of Mt. Pilchuck and came crashing down into the boulder field far below. Quite a show by mother nature, complete with sound effects that reverberated around the cirque. This was on a clear day, with snow firmly consolidated, no rain, no wind. So don't let conditions fool you - rockfalls like this can occur any time and are totally unpredictable.
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Heather Lake — Jan 01, 2010 — shegoat
Day hike
Issues: Water on trail | Snow on trail
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Started the New Year off with a hike, much like a river run. It was pouring most of the...
Started the New Year off with a hike, much like a river run. It was pouring most of the time and the trail had running water most of the way. The last 1/4 mile or so is snow/ice covered. Traction devices were helpful for this section. The lake is not totally frozen and there were scant views of the surrounding peaks. Two challenging stream crossings which totally submerged our boots. Great day to test raingear, boots, gloves, etc. We had a great time and definite solitude. Treated ourselves to warm tea and holiday cookies at the car.
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Heather Lake — Nov 27, 2009 — terpene
Day hike
Issues: Snow on trail
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The gravel road is clear and in good condition to the trailhead, but a Forest Service ranger told me that...
The gravel road is clear and in good condition to the trailhead, but a Forest Service ranger told me that it usually is inaccessible later in winter due to snow. As for Mt. Pilchuck, which uses this same road, it is now snowed in about three miles from the trailhead. Fortunately, the nearby Lake Twenty-Two trailhead is accessible year round.

Though suffering from some water erosion, the Heather Lake trail is in mostly good shape. At about 2200', though, the snow begins to pile up. At the lake, the snow is deep enough to preclude walking around the lake unless you have snowshoes, and is frozen all the way across. But at least the trail is compacted to the north side of the lake and about a quarter mile in each direction.

BTW, it's a good idea to stay away from the far (south) end of Heather Lake, as Mt. Pilchuck tends to shed rocks here all the time.
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Heather Lake — Oct 28, 2009 — Janice Van Cleve
Day hike
Issues: Water on trail | Snow on trail
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The Heather Lake trail is still an easy quick hike of 5 miles round trip - if you walk the...
The Heather Lake trail is still an easy quick hike of 5 miles round trip - if you walk the trail all around the lake. The last snow dropped a shallow smatter of caviar pellets over the area pretty much covering the trail after the first mile. The path is very easy to follow with no obstructions, gaining 1200 feet in two miles. The Pilchuck Road is clear to the trailhead.

This is an easy winter hike with a clear trail, not very long, and no avalanche danger. The trailhead is about a mile up the Pilchuck road and has an outhouse - although it is so close to the Verlot ranger station with its lighted, heated restroom that most folks use that. The trail switchbacks through woods where giant stumps evidence the huge trees that used to grow here. There are still many old giants worthy of awe in these woods. After a gradual steady gain, the trail levels out for the last few hundred yards to the lake.

The lake is beginning to ice along the edges but still very clear. Snow dusting on Pilchuck only serves to highlight its angles. Absolutely beautiful! Lots of water on the rocky trail which is to be expected this time of year, but its just enough to wash off the bottom of your boots. Best of all I scored a nice clutch of Oyster mushrooms right at the side of the trail which I sauteed with pumpkin see oil. Coffee at Granite Falls with a shot of pumpkin flavoring finished the day.
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Location
Heather Lake (#701)
North Cascades -- Mountain Loop Highway
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Darrington District
3.06 out of 5
Based on 16 votes
Featured In...

Day Hiking: North Cascades
by Craig Romano

To buy the full book, including maps, elevation profiles, photos, and more, visit:

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Information about this hike provided in partnership with Mountaineers Books. Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books

Roundtrip 4.6 miles
Elevation Gain 1100 ft
Highest Point 2500 ft
Features
Lakes
Waterfalls
Old growth
Mountain views
Guidebooks & Maps
Day Hiking: North Cascades (Romano - Mountaineers Books)
Best Hikes for Kids, Western Washington and the Cascades
Take A Hike Seattle
Hiking Snohomish County
Green Trails Granite Falls No. 109

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Driving Directions
(48.0829, -121.7740) Open in new window
Red Marker Heather Lake
48.0828833333 -121.774033333
From Granite Falls follow the Mountain Loop Highway east. One mile beyond the Verlot Public Service Center, turn right onto graveled Forest Road 42 immediately after crossing the "Blue Bridge." Drive 1.3 miles to the trailhead (elev. 1400 ft). Privy available.
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Heather Lake- March 26, 2009

Posted by jaredc at Mar 28, 2009 01:36 PM
The road to the trailhead was fine, unless you want to go to Pilchuck! That was blocked with a 25 foot high wall of snow; make that two walls of snow. There were 4 of us and 3 of us have been up there more then a dozen times on day hikes and a few overnighters. This was the earliest we had ever been and we thought about snowshoes but dismissed the fact immediately. Needless to say, the trail had just recieved two feet of fresh snow on Wednesday night and we were the first ones up there. Keep in mind that we are all young, I am the oldest at 19 but we have all been on numerous hikes together. We had no idea what would happen on this day! We got to the top only to find that we had taken a wrong turn almost at the top (it was pretty easy to do with two feeet of new snow!) But we wound our way back around to cross the bridge over the creek (which had about 15 feet of snow on it and the steel i-beam was bent due to the wieght of the snow!) We rested and ate lunch over looking what should have been the lake and watched avalanches as we made hot soup. We made the rookie mistake of heading down with only an hour left of daylight! WARNING: If you are crossing the bridge, be EXTREMELY careful! My buddy was crossing the bridge on the way down and the snow wedged off! He fell right into Heather Creek and landed on his right foot (about a 15- 20 foot drop). He couldn't walk on it and he was wet everywhere (and it was cold out!) I had packed an extra sweatshirt (luckily) and I gave it him so that we would be dry. I beat feet down to my car (with my dog) so that I could let everyone know that we wouldn't be back on schedule and I grabbed some dry clothes, food, and a sheet. Then I headed back up the trail. Two hours later I returned with warm clothes for my buddy and with the help of my brother and his friend we wrapped his ankle tightly with pieces of the sheet so that he could walk on it. An older more experienced hiker and his dad met us up there with hot tea and warm clothes. We finally reached the truck at 3 AM (frozen) but there is a nice path to Heather Lake in the snow now! The trail is covered in snow about a third of the way up and toward the top there is about 6-8 feet of snow on the trail! Happy hiking!
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