Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Mesatchee Creek
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Region,
by Dan A. Nelson and Alan L. Bauer.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. The trail starts up alongside the clear waters of the American River, following an old roadbed for the first mile. A footlog over the river at 1.2 miles marks the start of the workout, as the trail now turns away from the American River and angles up into the Mesatchee Creek valley. At a trail junction in 0.25 mile, stay left--the right fork leads up the Rainier Fork American River to Dewey Lake. The left-hand path stays in the Mesatchee Valley but leaves the creek behind as it gets nasty-steep on a mile-long series of switchbacks heading up the valley wall. Before the creek passes from sight, though, you'll loop close to it on one turn and see a pretty horsetail waterfall cascading over a steep rocky rim. Once well above the creek level, the trail moderates a bit and enters a long traverse of the slope, angling upstream before crossing the creek just short of the 4-mile mark. You'll find plenty of creekside rest areas if you need to take a break. But don't linger long--you'll want to push on, as there are prettier places to see and enjoy. The trail moves farther up the creek valley and circles through the upper slopes of the meadow-filled basin at the head of the creek. At 5.2 miles the trail ends at a junction with American Ridge Trail amid a tangle of huckleberries and alpine firs. Enjoy the fruits of the bushes and the fruits of your labor as you bask in the sunshine and take in the views along the ridge and over the deep valley you just climbed.
Driving Directions:
From Chinook Pass drive east on State Route 410 (Chinook Pass Highway) for 6.5 miles. Turn right onto a small road (Forest Road 460) leading south about 0.5 mile nearly to the mouth of the Mesatchee Creek valley. Park at the road end. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bridge out
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A group of us did this hike on Saturday since none of us had ever been and it sounded interesting.
From...
A group of us did this hike on Saturday since none of us had ever been and it sounded interesting.
From the trailhead, you'll soon reach a 3-way road junction - the middle road is the most direct route to the first footbridge. The 2nd bridge is still out as Merbir reported a couple years ago, or at least we never found it (the trail leads up to the river and continues on the other side, no bridge). The logjam closest to the trail is crossable, but for added challenge, has a bee's nest in one of the logs. There's another logjam a little further upstream, apparently bee-free, that some of us used instead. The trail itself is very, very dusty most of the way, and rocky in places. We were all pretty dirty by the time we got back to the cars. Some views of Rainier peeking over the hills as you start climbing the switchbacks, and some nice views of Adams after reaching the top, along the American Ridge trail. Lots of lupine blooming on the hillside. Bugs: a few black flies and some mosquitos, but not too bad.
Mesatchee Creek, American Ridge, Dewey Lake
— Aug 20, 2011
— john
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Mud/Rockslide | Water on trail | Bugs
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I did the loop up Mesatchee Creek to American Ridge then down 2000 to Dewey Lakes. The loop is mostly...
I did the loop up Mesatchee Creek to American Ridge then down 2000 to Dewey Lakes. The loop is mostly snow free, unlike 2 weeks ago. This is a challenging day hike but you can do it in about 9 hours. I was with Java - the only living entity that will do these hikes with me. There are lots of flowers out. The mosquitos are bad coming down the Dewey Lake trail. You have to cross on creek (out of the Dewey Lakes) that does not have logs (or at least none that I found). I take off my boots and put them in the pack when I cross. Dewey Lakes Trail is in poor shape between the lake and the creek crossing. It does not get much use. I still count this as one of my best hikes.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail
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Tried this a week ago and the Mesatchee Creek trail was buried in snow by the Ridgeline.
Good Hike, Trails...
Tried this a week ago and the Mesatchee Creek trail was buried in snow by the Ridgeline.
Good Hike, Trails are in good shape but there was still a LOT of snow by American Lake, especially to the west. We lost the trail for about 1/2 of a mile, but one of us (that would be me) found it. American Lake is beautiful this time of year. We saw a couple of backpackers on the PCT. Not TOO many bugs. The weather was nice and my 2 legged hiking partner did not bitch too much. Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail | Bugs
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The trail was at times tough and unmaintained and the mosquitoes persistent, but the 360 panoramas at the top of...
The trail was at times tough and unmaintained and the mosquitoes persistent, but the 360 panoramas at the top of American Ridge and from a viewpoint above Big Basin made it well worth the round trip of 16 miles.
After passing gobs of people packing the Mt. Rainier parking lots, we pulled into the Mesatchee Creek trailhead to find no cars. On a 3-day holiday weekend. We got confused at the start of the trail. You follow trail that turns into a road -- and we accidentally took the right fork. Take the left road, where you pass between two boulders. You'll eventually come to a bridge to cross a creek. Then there is a larger river to cross. There is a good log dam to cross on -- we tried the water crossing on the way back (we were hot!) but it's waist deep for someone who is 5' 8'', so I'd avoid unless you're taller. The views of Rainier were great as we switch-backed up the creek. Then there is a long, moderate uphill as you get closer to the top of the valley. Near the ridge, a few snow fields dot the trail, but they were melting out fast and were easily crossed. At the ridge, the views were incredible. We headed left at the junction with the American Ridge Trail, toward Big Basin. The trail becomes much rougher -- rocky, few switchbacks, really steep grades. But after doing some killer ups and downs, we found Big Basin which was gorgeous. It was empty, except for us and about a dozen elk. There are water sources here, but a few of them are likely to dry up in the next week or so as the snow disappears. We scrambled to the top of the closest peak overlooking the basin and saw the most incredible 360 degree panoramas I've every seen in Washington. Better than the Enchantments, better than the top of the Hoh River valley. You could see Adams, Rainier, St. Helens, Baker, Glacier. Incredible. Be sure and check out the decades-old peak registry. Was it a little rough going at times? Yes, but I'd do it again. The views are worth the effort.
Mesatchee Creek, Dewey Lakes
— Jun 28, 2009
— john
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail | Bugs
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Tried to do the loop up Mesatchee Creek, over to Swamp Lake and back down the Dewey Lake trail.
Failed -...
Tried to do the loop up Mesatchee Creek, over to Swamp Lake and back down the Dewey Lake trail.
Failed - the last half mile of the Mesatchee trail is hidden under a blanket of snow. I hiked up to about a quarter of a mile from the ridgeline trail and decided that it was best left to another day. This was my first hike with my new dog, Java. He's a lab/husky mix and he kicked my butt. The trail is in good condition. I hit snow about 2.5 miles or so up the trail but it was still easy to tell where the trail was. The waterfall is nice and the air is crisp at this time of the year. I saw one other couple and their dog on my way back down. I decided to poke up Dewey Lake trail after the aborted attempt to do the loop. The Dewey lake trail is in good shape. I saw another couple and their dog and then we met 2 guys who had camped out by the second American River crossing. I decided to call it quits there but I suspect that you can make it up to the lake without encountering any snow. I did not see any logs to use at the second crossing but I think there are some downstream from the trail. If not - the water is cold but not too deep. |
Photo by Hiking Queen.
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