Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Surprise Lake
Featured In:
Day Hiking: South Cascades,
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 climbs gradually from Conrad Meadows-a broad, grassy meadow in the valley bottom-to the high alpine lake at trail's end. Along the way it passes through a seemingly endless series of forest meadows. These elk pastures are broken up by beautiful stands of ponderosa pine and spruce forests, and are home to not only elk but also white-tailed and mule deer and a host of small critters. Indeed, so great is the number of meadows that many hikers find it more enjoyable to leave the trail altogether and journey up to the lake by going cross-country through the forest glades. This is a great place to practice your off-trail rambling, but before leaving the trail, be sure you have map and compass and the skill to use them effectively. The first 3.5 miles of trail thread through these patchwork wildflower meadows, but the upper end of the route is enclosed in denser forests until, near the lake, the route breaks out into alpine clearings. Above the pretty little lake loom some of the great craggy peaks that give the Goat Rocks Wilderness its name. With a pair of binoculars and a little patience, it's possible to spot the creatures themselves. Mountain goats scramble among the rocky slopes high above the lake, jumping lightly about the cliffs that lie between the forest and the glaciers. Look for them on the bare rocks above green fields of moss and grass. There are good campsites at the lake and along the numerous meadows farther down the trail. If you choose to camp in a meadow, though, wander as far off trail as is reasonable and look for a campsite that is sheltered from the trail by a stand of trees. This will shield your camp from other hikers so they can continue to enjoy their sense of solitude in this wild, beautiful area.
Driving Directions:
From Yakima, drive west on U.S. Highway 12 for 33.2 miles and turn left onto Tieton River Road. Drive 3.5 miles, passing Rimrock Lake, and turn left onto Forest Road 1000. Continue 14 miles to the trailhead parking area at Conrad Meadows. Recent Trip Reports
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Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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Reports of snow at other trails led us to this trip that I had on a list of "someday" hikes....
Reports of snow at other trails led us to this trip that I had on a list of "someday" hikes. We wanted to pack into a base camp for two nights and have a nice day hike for the middle day. I found this hike in the Best Wildflower Hikes in Washington. We drove to the TH on Friday, hoping to beat the traffic, only to find major road construction on Hwy 12 with long waits. Finally made it to the TH by mid-afternoon. We crossed two small creeks and hiked through the Conrad Meadows (lots of cattle and way too late for flowers) and found a nice spot near the start of the loop to set up camp (about 5 miles in and maybe 400 feet gain).
Next morning we started up towards Surprise Lake (1.5 to 2 miles, 1000 feet gain) through cool forest and some views of the snow covered (and unnamed) peaks behind the lake. Surprise Lake was beautiful. Many campsites, but only a few were occupied. Small fish were jumping - the water was alpine blue-green and clear. The wildflowers were near peak as we traversed around the basin with many small streams and no snow on the trail. The loop is about 6 miles with a nice variety of forest and open meadows with views. A few bugs but quite manageable. Back down to camp in time for happy hour! This was a very nice 3 day trip, and given how pretty it was I am surprised how few trip reports there are. There are quite a few horse riders, but they all were camping at the campground at the TH. Multi-night backpack
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Cows and elk and goats, Oh My! Glacier Peak was not in the cards today, the weather...
Cows and elk and goats, Oh My! Glacier Peak was not in the cards today, the weather would not hold, so we settled on the glaciers in the Goat Rocks.
Got a late start though still found time for "the biggest peach we've ever seen" at the Naches fruit stand- a bit underripe. Started walking at 1pm after a 4 hour trip. Cows. South Fork Tieton River trail 2 miles to Tieton Peaks trail junction, slight right. So unmaintained the "trail not maintained" sign from a few years back is gone. Trail in good shape the 2.5 miles to the marsh. Cut straight across trying to stay on what looked to be the high ground, no such luck- the grass was just taller. Moved quickly to avoid sinking to the boottops. On the other side we stayed to the left following decent tread with occasional glimpses of the mountains at the valley head. Multiple trails soon made the route confusing but Maria kept us on track. Went a few hundred feet too high (right) but from here were able to scope out the rest of the route. Enjoyed knowing where we were and this beautiful alp slope instead of wandering around in the woods. Soon past the waterfalls and next to the creek coming from the Conrad Glacier we ascended to Cold Lake where we made camp. The multicolored stripes on Tieton Peak are a fitting backdrop to this bleak, stunning landscape. Walked around the lake pre retirement. Next morning made our way to the Conrad-Tieton saddle to see for the first time the Tieton Glacier, and what a sight indeed! Left most of our stuff here and dropped onto the glacier. Made our way down the gentle slope perhaps 500' to where we ascended snow slopes to the pass above Cispus Basin, where we could see the PCT far below. Retraced our steps, sliding safely much of the way and back up the Tieton Glacier, this time on the ice. Back at our stuff we made camp and headed up Tieton Peak to watch the sunset. The ridge here is scenic, easy walking. Spent a windy, coyote-song filled night at the saddle. Next morning (day 3) even windier though still sunny. Maria had managed to make breakfast while I slept. Soon clouds began pouring through the far pass and we knew time was of the essence. Ahead of the storm made our way from the Conrad-Tieton saddle, across the Conrad Glacier, to the Conrad-Meade col. Made our way down next to the Meade Glacier and to the campsite right of the stream coming off the glacier. Followed the faint trail on the ridge crest to where a better trail took us to the Surprise Lake loop. If you follow the stream from the Meade Glacier you'll run into it. Once on the loop made good time to Surprise Lake, and out to the car uneventfully. Total trip 3 days/2nights 20 miles 7000'. Expect to see plenty of wildlife (especially goats), and no people. Some routefinding and easy glacier travel. Overnight
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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This hike was great. Started a little hot and dusty for the first few miles but got better when we...
This hike was great. Started a little hot and dusty for the first few miles but got better when we started the accent up to the lake. At the beginning the trail passes through a few large meadows where we saw many wild grazing cows. After the meadows the trail weaves around through really dry forest land, following a river. The hike then begins the accent up the ridge to the lake. The accent includes many small river crossing that are a little primative to go across so you may want to bring hiking poles to help balance across some of the rocks and falling trees.
The lake wa beautiful. There was still snow around it and the water temperature was very cold but even as we were there for three days we could tell how much the snow was melting. We could not complete the full loop because of the snow and we ended up having to return back the same way we came. Go left at the Surprise Lake sign because the right side is still snowed in and you will not be able to reach the lake from that direction. There were quite a few people on the trail being as it was a really nice weekend but we were able to easily find a nice campsite and there were still a bunch open. Be aware that you are sharing this train predominantly with horses and they have caused some damamge to the trail, especially in the muddier areas. Overnight
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail | Bugs
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Started out around 9am. There were just a few cars in the parking lot, but quite a few groups with...
Started out around 9am. There were just a few cars in the parking lot, but quite a few groups with horses camping in the area. But we encountered only three parties on horseback on the way up, and only one of them went all the way up to the lake. Saw three other parties (all hikers) camped at the lake, and one camped a bit further up.
The trail was in good condition, no blowdowns, but often quite dusty, and muddy in a few places. There were several stream crossings, all of which either had a bridge or were shallow enough to be waded through easily, or hopped and balanced over with some care. No snow on the way up to the lake (clockwise on the loop trail), but patches of snow were lingering around the lake, especially on the south and west shores. Got swarmed by mosquitoes in a few spots at lower elevation (met one party that turned around because of that). The mosquitoes weren't quite as bad at the lake, mostly. The following morning we attempted to complete the loop clockwise, but turned around after hitting sketchy snow that was undermined by a series of streams at 5,400ft. Couldn't find any tracks that continued beyond that area, either. The trail shown on the USGS map wasn't quite accurate, should have checked with the Northwest Trails map (http://www.switchbacks.com/nwtrails/) which (at least in this case) appears to be up to date. I couldn't quite reconcile the trail with the description from the Day Hiking book, either: There was nothing "gradual" about the switchbacks up to the lake, nor were there "alpine clearings" upon approaching the lake. Perhaps the description holds better when hiking the Surprise Lake loop counter-clockwise, but that isn't clear from the text. Lots of wildflowers were blooming at the lower elevations, especially Lupine, Larkspur, and False Hellebore. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bridge out | Mudholes | Water on trail | Snow on trail | Bugs
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We selected the Conrad Meadows area in hopes of avoiding snow, and for the most part we were successful. However,...
We selected the Conrad Meadows area in hopes of avoiding snow, and for the most part we were successful. However, we were unable to avoid the annual Fourth of July horse camp at the trail. Still, we managed to start earlier than most of the animals and had much of the glorious Conrad Meadows to ourselves give or take a riding party or two. These meadows are simply stunning fields of kelly green grasses sprinkled with Lupin, Bistort,False Hellabore,Larkspur, Greek Valerian, Mountain Violets, and all kinds of pine/fir trees. For about 4 miles or so, the trail meandered through largly flat meadows and stands of pines, crossed numerous creeks (with and without bridges),and occasionally allowed us brief views of snowy peaks.
Although we had debated about about continuing on to Surprise Lake, the trail kept tugging us along. This part of the hike may contain something like 18 switchbacks according to a passing rider who kept count. You gain 1000 feet in two miles, crossing lots of cricks, mud, and some snow. Unfortunately,mountain views are short during this part of the trail. Still, we proceeded to the lake, crossing a few snow patches. Being our first longish hike of the season, we declined to explore the lake further and took a short rest instead. People were camping up there, but we didn't see their site. Half of the lake was surrounded by snow. The journey back through the lower meadows in the late afternoon light was fabulous. A few bugs began to emerge, although not clouds, at least not yet. We heard a lot of birdsong as well. Overall, you could also describe our journey as two completely separate hikes: a meadow hike and a climbing hike. If we had to choose, we would choose the luscious meadows over the steep climb to a what amounts to a small, brushy lake. All and all a unique area for us West Side folks. Overnight
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail | Bugs
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For a last-minute, spur-of-the-moment trip, this one turned out pretty well. We got a late start on the day...
For a last-minute, spur-of-the-moment trip, this one turned out pretty well. We got a late start on the day (on the trail around 3pm), but were able to make it to the lake before dark. The hike in was dry and warm, but pretty decent weather overall. We had great visibility for taking pictures all afternoon. Although the nice weather also mean more mosquitoes to "bug" us.
The lower meadows are free-range cattle areas, so we ran into plenty of cows along the way. On the plus side, lots of cattle means fewer problems with predators for hikers (I think). There were quite a few groups of horses coming in and out of Conrad Meadows as well. I'm happy to report that the vast majority of the horses we ran into were quite well socialized with hikers and dogs, so we didn't have any problems with skiddish horses. We had a little bit of a hard time staying on the right trail through the meadows. After the gate across Rd.1000, we didn't notice the sign down the hill to the left for TR.1120. Instead we continued on the road for a ways until we hit another road that took off to the left. Following this, we immediately crossed two streams and were out in the meadow area. All-in-all, this was great hiking, but the "trail" we were on kept splitting off into side-trails and spurs. We wasted a bit of time making sure we were headed the right direction. Eventually, we made it across the meadow to the trailhead for TR1120 off of the main road again. If we would've stayed on Rd.1000 all the way to the trailhead, we would've saved ourselves some navigational headaches, but would've missed out on some of the meadow views. After getting back onto the real TR1120, the rest of the hike was very easy to navigate. There were a few muddy areas along the trail, but nothing that decent boots & gaiters couldn't muck through. One of the bridges (Conrad Creek crossing, I believe) is also in kind of sad shape, but still quite functional. It is tipped towards the upstream side, and the access on one end requires quite the step up onto it. The other end has a gap between the bridge and the trail that takes a bit of a jump to cross. Nothing too bad, but smaller kids and dogs may have a hard time of it. The real effort on the trail comes after the fork where the Surprise Lake Loop starts. We had been warned about a large, aggressive beehive on the Northern part of the loop, and it was getting late anyhow, so we took the more direct Southern trail up to Surprise Lake. The trail climbs fairly briskly up to the lake, with plenty of switchbacks. Since we were racing dusk up to the lake, just about the time one switchback would be in the shadows, we would make it up to the next one and be in the sun again. There are plenty of great views (the surrounding peaks, waterfalls, some exposed rock outcroppings...) on the way up the hill to stop and take in while catching your breath! The lake is nestled in a nice little bowl and the water was very clear. We found our way around to an unused campsite and set up camp for the night. There was already an established fire pit (not much dry wood though) and several flat spots for tents. We set up camp on the high ground, got some dinner, and hit the hay for the night. It drizzled pretty much all night and most of the next morning, so we got to break camp in the rain. The trail changes its nature once it's wet. The dry dusty path from the night before was now a muddy, slippery trudge back down. Most of the trail was pretty good even when wet, but beware of spontaneously losing your footing on particularly soggy sections! The rain was fairly light most of the time, and even gave way to some sunshine partway through the morning. The only real drawback to it was that it make getting more pictures a little harder. We had a great time, and will hopefully get out here again and finish the loop trail sometime when the bees aren't hogging it. And maybe venture up to the glacier as well! |
The view from the Surprise Lake Trail. Photo: Putz-in-Boots
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