I went on the hike to Lake 22 yesterday (Friday, 7/21). The hike is very pretty with the old growth forest, waterfalls and lake. About 70% to 85% of the hike is covered by trees. There are some overgrown plants on the trail. About 75% to 85% of the trail is on rocks, which makes injury to one's ankle very easy and the hike slow going. The trail also contains some wet areas, not too many. Apparently, one can hike around the lake, which I did not do. Here are some stats : Hike Length Distance : 5.4 miles round-trip. Time : up : 1 1/2 hours. down : 1 5/12 hours. Elevation Max : 2400 feet. Min : 1000 feet. Range : 1400 feet. Restrooms Trailhead : 1 (pit toilet). Close By : 1 (Running water - Verlot Ranger Station, about 2 miles west of trailhead on Mountain Loop Highway). Book(s) 1) Walks and Hikes In the Foothills & Lowlands Around Puget Sound. Harvey Manning & Penny Manning. p. 269-270. 2) Washington Handbook. Archie Satterfield & Dianne J. Boulerice Lyons. p. 268-270. Map : Green Trails - Granite Falls. Pests : At the lake, there were some flying insects, which made eating lunch and working on caring for a blister a bit slow. The insects bite, too.

My 10 year old son and I arose Sunday to clear skies and anxious to take our first hike of the season. We chose Lake 22 for its close proximity, mild elevation (no snow according to the recent reports read online at this site), and the fact that I had not been back to this lake in almost 25 years.

On the drive to the trail, I blabbed something to my son about probably seeing at least 10 cars in the lot. We hit the trailhead at 8:15 and were pleasantly surprise to find only one other car. As we headed up the trail we met an early morning trail-runner. The trail is in excellent shape with only a few muddy spots and no blow downs. The old growth forest is wonderful and my son and I took great delight in looking at the huge evergreens that stand like sentinels in the forest. The foot bridge over the Lake 22 Creek is in excellent shape and we lingered there for a while to just watch and listen to the creek cascade down the mountain on its way to the river below. The lake basin is absolutely beautiful. About 1/4 of the lake is covered in ice and the across the lake the shore is completely snow covered. I had forgotten how nice a spot it is. We had the place entirely to ourselves so we traversed the west side of the lake to a small elevated bluff along the shoreline and had our ""Sunday Brunch."" A small avalanche broke loose from the top of the mountain and we watched the snow and rock tumble down the steep face. My son was amazed at the sights and sounds of the display. Several waterfalls added to the incredible scenery and made for a pleasant morning. We headed back down the trail and were amazed at the number of hikers heading to the lake. I knew this was a popular hike, but had no idea of how many people would be heading up to the lake. We kept saying, ""Where are all these people going to find a place to sit'"" Back at the trailhead, we checked the register and counted 60 people heading up to the lake, wow! There wasn't a parking spot left and the cars were lined up all the way out to the Mountain Loop Highway.

The Lake 22 Trail is almost snow free to the lake. There's just a few patches prior to the lake and at the lake shore. WTA has done five days of work on the trail this year and all our structures are holding up well. The trail is in very good shape up to the second switchback after the bridge over 22 Creek. After that the quality of the tread drops dramatically. There are many spots filled with root, rocks and mud-holes. At places the going can be very tough.

I reached the lake at 7:30pm. It's was raining buckets. I'm always amazed out how heavily it can rain in the Verlot area. Still it was fun, in the fading evening light, to stand there, quietly by myself and watch the heavy rain drops splash-down on the half-frozen lake. Lake 22 gets a lot of abuse, but it's still a very pretty area. I packed out quite a bit of trash including a baby spoon. I couldn't find the baby.

In the five days I've spent working on the trail this year I've seen many groups with very small children and even adults caring infants. This trail was once a very appropriate hike for children, but in its current condition it is not. It's probably the last place I would recommend you take small children. WTA will be doing a lot of work this year to improve the tread and hopefully next year money will become available for the Forestry Service to hire a professional contractor to complement our efforts.

Snow starts shortly before the lake and is several feet deep. The lake is 17.5% thawed (approximately). I know becauthe I thaw it. No ice axe needed, but watch out for punching through rotten snow in one or two places. Trail in great shape for the first half but kinda gloppy and sloppy mud on some sections in the second half. I didn't check the third half due to a lack of time.