Of course this is the first hike of the season where I forgot my camera! So unfortunately I have no pictures to aid in the description of this lovely little 4 mile (roundtrip) hike. So I’ll just do my best to give a summary.

I’ve occasionally heard this hike referred to as Dorothy Lake, but it is in fact Lake Dorothy, on the west side of Stevens Pass just before you hit Skykomish.

Once you drive off the main roads you will drive 9.5 miles on a fairly smooth gravel and dirt road until you hit the trailhead. There are very few ruts in the road and most cars shouldn’t have a problem (there is some water flowing over the road, so if you have a car that is extra prickly this might be a problem – but it’s really just a tiny bit of water).

The trail is very well maintained. We ran into a WTA work party this morning cleaning up a patch of the trail with some debris and mud, but rather than that it was smooth sailing. It’s an easy/moderate hike up with an elevation of 858 feet. There’s a patch where it get’s your heart pumping, but all in all it’s a short hike so nothing too intense for those who hike often. If you’re in great shape it’s on the easy side, if you’re in moderate shape then it’s on the moderate side!

We made it out to the lake and sat and had a snack while looking out over the tranquil clear waters that are trademarks of the alpine lakes throughout the Cascades.

There is no snow on the trail. There is a lot of foliage around the lake you have to sort of meander your way through but easy enough on a clear summer day.

We ran into several folks on our way down who were making their way up to Bear Lake, but due to time restraints we didn’t go that far.

It was a lovely little morning hike, well worth the trip.