Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Lake Ann (Rainy Pass)
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Day Hiking: North Cascades,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Start from the large parking lot at Rainy Pass. Turn off of the paved path to Rainy Lake, heading right on Trail 740 toward Maple Pass and Lake Ann. The trail ascends gradually through forest, huckleberry and wildflower meadows. At 1.3 miles is a junction. For Lake Ann, take the left fork and another .3 mile will present you at the lake. Note that there is no camping allowed (as tempting as that may be). The trail up to Maple Pass is quite visible from the lake, and it may just well lure you to double back and do the loop.
Driving Directions:
From Marblemount follow the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) east for 51 miles to Rainy Pass near milepost 158. Turn right into the Rainy Pass Picnic Area for the trailhead (elev. 4850 ft). Water and privy available. Recent Trip Reports
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Lake Ann (Rainy Pass)
— Aug 21, 2011
— TrailMomma
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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Amazing wildflowers! Equally amazing mosquito population! Other than mosquitos, a lovely and very doable family hike. One...
Amazing wildflowers! Equally amazing mosquito population! Other than mosquitos, a lovely and very doable family hike. One particuylar section of trail about halfway to the lake had lupine, columbine, indian paintbrush, aster, queen anne's lace, penstemon, and some kind of daisy, all together. Simply stunning - took my breath away, and made me want to stay there for a while. Except for the mosquitos. That was the only reason I didn't take a million photos with the kids right there. Closer to the lake, right where the forest begins to open to alpine meadow, the scent of wildflowers filled the air with a light, sweet, refreshing perfume such as I've never before experienced. All 4 of us noticed and commented on it (2 adults, 2 kids under 10.) Huckleberries, salmon berries, and thimberries all still forming, not yet ripe. Some vine maples turning color. Good hike for our 4 footed furry Malamute friend, too. Good footing, good water. No snow on trail, some snow still in clumps just off trail. Small sections of mud on trail near lakeshore, but viable side trails exist that are already human-impacted. Signage on trail notes bear sightings in area, but no indications of bears during this day hike. Not too crowded with humans, either, though not deserted. Lovely except for the mosquitos. Don bug juice before exiting your car!
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail | Bugs
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We completed the Heather Pass/Maple Pass loop hike on a gorgeous afternoon. It was the first time we've done...
We completed the Heather Pass/Maple Pass loop hike on a gorgeous afternoon. It was the first time we've done this particular hike and it quickly became one of our favorites. We went in the counterclockwise direction that is often recommended in the guidebooks. Note: when we got to the trailhead the signs at the split for the loop are missing. Somebody put up cardboard with writing indicating the directions for Lake Ann and Rainy Lake. In case those go missing, the trail for counterclockwise going to Lake Ann Spur and Heather Pass is the dirt path going up into the forest. The paved path heads to Rainy Lake and clockwise hike via Maple Pass first.
Nice gradual hike through the forest which opened up to a brilliant meadow just full of wildflowers. Greeted by a Marmot sunning itself on a large boulder. Didn't seem too concerned about us. Back into the forest until just after the Lake Ann Spur when we were treated to fantastic views of Lake Ann and the cirque we'll be hiking. Clear and full of wildflowers to Heather Pass. Only complaint would be some bothersome bugs. Up to Maple Pass we caught a few patches of compact snow, but all short and really nothing to worry about except spending too much time looking at wildflowers. Corteo Peak really stands out right in front of you at Maple Pass. Between Maple Pass and the shoulder of Frisco Peak, we saw more and longer snow patches. I've included a representative picture of one of the longer/steeper treks on a snow patch. You could always see the end of the trail on the otherside and/or the path to take. We were glad we had trekking poles, but no real issues in going up to the highest point of the hike. Down from the shoulder of Frisco peak doesn't mess around. Glad that we went the way we did as after the initial meadows, most of it was down through the forest I really don't think I would have enjoyed it the other way. It was impressive to look down at Lake Ann and see the trail you came up, as well as Rainy Lake and the large waterfall in the distance. About halfway down we heard an animal noise that sounded like a deep "Humph, humph, humph" a little off the trail to our left. We weren't sure what it was, but didn't investigate as we didn't want to surprise it. Just got down the trail and heard the sounds fade behind us. Before we knew it we were connected to the paved trail to Rainy Lake and the last half mile back to our car. Great hike! Lake Ann Spur- Don't recommend it, at least right now. Got about halfway there when we were just overwhelmed with mosquitoes and other bugs. Also got to a particularly marshy part with lots of standing water on the trail, so we turned back. Wildflowers- Ones I can remember include Lupin, Columbine, Asters, Buttercups, Corn Lily, Pearly Everlasting, Queen's Cup, Paintbrush, and even more I can't remember at the moment. Berries- Thimbleberries looked like just about to ripen. Black and Red Huckleberries perhaps a little longer than that. Snow patches- Going counterclockwise... Between the trailhead and Heather Pass is snow free. Heather Pass to Maple Pass: a few 10-20 yard patches, but that's it. Maple Pass to Shoulder of Frisco Peak: more significant patches, although compact and possible to see where trail continues on each end. We did going up with poles. Shoulder of Frisco Pass to trailhead: trail snowfree. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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Still obsessed with the North Cascades, I decided to take faithful Daphne for a hike on this beautiful sunny day...
Still obsessed with the North Cascades, I decided to take faithful Daphne for a hike on this beautiful sunny day up to Heather and Maple Pass. While this loop hike to Heather and Maple Pass is quite beautiful, to me, it isn't quite in the same premier category as Skyline Divide, Hidden Lakes, Cascade Peak/Sahalie Glacier, or Spider Meadow. But it is a hike that's worth doing because the views--while not as astoundingly breath-taking as those seen on the aforementioned trails--are nevertheless, gorgeous.
At 9:30 am, about a dozen cars at the trail head, which is located in the Rainy Pass picnic-area parking lot (not the Rainy Pass trail head parking lot, which is on the east side of the highway). Only passed about ten small hiking parties all day on this 8.4 mile loop (with Lake Ann and Rainy Lake detours) which I did counterclockwise, starting on the steep, dirt path and ending on the paved walkway. The fork to Lake Ann (to the left) is at 1.3 miles, but honestly, I felt the lake wasn't worth the extra 1/2 mile, as it's much prettier viewed from above. Nevertheless, Daphne was hot so we hiked down there to let her swim. After returning to the main trail, we had to cross an ankle-twisting 1/2 mile of rock slide before ascending to Heather Pass. Views from the pass down to Lake Ann are great here. There's a well-worn boot path to the right, just before the pass, which heads off to Lewis Lake, a milky green lake I could see from the switchbacks. On Maple Pass, there was a nice breeze which kept bugs away and several nice, flat areas with large slabs of rocks and grand views of Glacier Peak--great spots from which to enjoy lunch. From Maple Pass on, the main trail is simply the widest of an assortment of criss-crossed boot paths, some of which lead to views, some to small tarns, and others to seemingly nowhere. A large stick buttressed by a pile of rocks marks the 6850-foot high point of this hike, on a shoulder of Frisco Mountain. From there, it's steep switchbacks down towards Rainy Lake, where larkspur, lupine, sitka valerian, saxifrage, western anemone, red paintbrush, penstemon of many varieties, and many other wildflowers were in vibrant bloom. A hanging waterfall is visible to the right. To give Daphne another swim, we turned right when the trail met the paved walkway at 5.8 miles, and walked a flat 0.6 miles to Rainy Lake before returning up the path back to the trail head. STATS: LOOP DISTANCE plus two lake excursions: 8.4 miles ELEV. GAIN: 2000 ft (4855 ft trail head, 6850 ft highest point) GRADE: easy to moderate TIME: 4:20 at a medium pace DOGGY NOTES: several seasonal streams, lakes, and tiny tarns provide sufficient water; trail is shaded at the beginning and end but there is no shade on the pass MAPS: Green Trails 49, 50 PASSES: NW Forest Pass OTHER NOTES: (1) Mosquitoes are out. I swear, that citrus eucalyptus juice does the trick against both mosquitoes and biting black flies! (2) One surprising patch of snow around 6750 ft, easy to cross. (3) Two small blow-downs (one on either end of the trail), but easy to step over. (4) Wildflowers on the Rainy Lake side are gorgeous and peaking. PHOTO NOTE: Alas, for some reason, the WTA site won't permit me to upload photos tonight. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail | Bugs
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We took the Lake Ann trail to Lake Ann, a bit muddy/deep water in one spot, but could go around...
We took the Lake Ann trail to Lake Ann, a bit muddy/deep water in one spot, but could go around it a bit. We then proceeded from Lake Ann, on up to Heather Pass. After Heather Pass the trail was a boot path in the snow. We made it to about 6200 feet and decided to go back the way that we came. We decided to retreat because we did not have poles or ice axes, and terrain was steep. Poles and/or ice ax definitely needed to 6200. We were not sure what might be on the other side (Maple Pass Loop side), so we descended back down the way we came ( the trail towards Lake Ann).
Lots of bugs at trail head, but fine once heading off on trail (breeze might have helped). Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Mudholes | Snow on trail
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I headed up MP Loop at Sunrise. Spotting patches of snow at 5,500 feet, I took the Lake Ann...
I headed up MP Loop at Sunrise. Spotting patches of snow at 5,500 feet, I took the Lake Ann trail. There were patches of snow on the Lake trail and some serious mudholes, but I managed to circumnavigate the obstacles. The lake is stunning with the snow-patched cirque as a backdrop. The North side of MP loop is free of snow, but the South (highest) side is nearly solid snow. I saw one deer, several wooley Marmots, a large mouse or rat, and a wasp nest on a fern stem. Anyone ever seen wasps make a nest on a fern? I almost brushed against the nest because it was right next to the trail. That would have made me move faster... It was a fantastic morning and a beautiful hike.
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Lake Ann. Photo by Solo67.
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