Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Surprise Lake Snowshoe
Featured In:
Snowshoe Routes - Washington,
by Dan A. Nelson.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. All but the first 0.5 mile of trail is within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, so the forest is ancient, undisturbed old growth. That provides healthy habitat for an array of wildlife, and even in winter a lot of scurrying and flittering occurs along the trail. Snowshoers can look for, and frequently see, animals such as martens, hares, and deer. They can also find tracks of cougars, bobcats, coyotes, and foxes, though these animals seldom allow themselves to be seen by humans. Birds in the area include the always-present whiskey jacks, ptarmigans, owls, ravens, falcons, and woodpeckers. Delicate waterfalls and deep blue pools are found along the plunging creek, and views of the rocky summits of Spark Plug and Thunder Mountains are spectacular along the upper end of the trail. Several small, unnamed waterfalls and miniature sets of rapids accent the little stream. These features are beautiful any time of year, but when the stream banks are cloaked in snow and the river rocks rimmed with ice, the tumbling waters are like sparkling jewels, glinting in the cold, winter sunshine. At 3 miles, the trail leaves the creekside to climb east through a series of steep, tight switchbacks before banking south a bit and rolling the final 0.25 mile on fairly gentle slopes to the lakeshore. From the banks of the big lake, enjoy views of 6311-foot Spark Plug Mountain to the west, Thunder Mountain (6556 feet) to the south, and the deep Skykomish River valley due north. Author’s Rating: Backcountry These routes follow topography rather than trails or roads. Skill with a map and compass is essential. A variety of conditions may be encountered along backcountry routes, including steep elevation gains and losses. These routes require complete competence in winter survival skills, avalanche and snow condition evaluation and some basic mountaineering skills.
Driving Directions:
To get there, from Everett drive east on U.S. Highway 2 to the town of Skykomish and continue east another 10 miles. Turn right (south) into the small community of Scenic just before the railroad underpass on the highway. Cross the river, and turn right again onto a small spur road signed as the Surprise Creek/Surprise Lake trailhead. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Issues:
Mud/Rockslide | Snow on trail | Avalanche danger
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I marked this as a day hike instead of XC/snowshoe because I opted against bringing snowshoes, instead I used gaiters...
I marked this as a day hike instead of XC/snowshoe because I opted against bringing snowshoes, instead I used gaiters because the temperature was close to freezing and I figured post holing wouldn't be too bad. But after a couple hours I quickly realized why people like to XC ski and snowshoe in this area. It was a white wonderland, an easy grade trail surrounded by old growth trees and later the crystal clear surprise creek. I wasn't waist deep or anything, but my trip would've been a lot smoother after a couple miles in the higher elevation with snowshoes because even shallow post holing is still grueling work after a couple hours.
I left the trailhead around 8 am. I wore my best insulation, an Ice breaker 200 base layer with a polartech REI powerstretch on top and a waterproof marmot shell, with a arcteryx fleece in the bag for backup. A wonderful combination, But after 2 miles in I was sweating like the good old days playing backyard basketball in the summer. I was ready for more, but after trying to pace myself and taking a fifteen minute break under an old growth tree, I couldn't stop shivering, wet as a stray dog. I decided to turn back. Besides, I had forgotten my cell phone to tell the time, I had forgotten my lamp, I forgot my green trails map (I feel naked without it) and I was surrounded by recent mud and ice block avalanches from slopes on both sides of the river, some which had split trees in half. Safety first. On my way back, I went at a leisurely pace, and in less than twenty minutes I was bone dry and happy as a clam. Theres a reason waterproof/breathable gear is expensive, Its breathable =). Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail
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The last 1.5 miles or so of the trail are still buried in deep snow and no where to be...
The last 1.5 miles or so of the trail are still buried in deep snow and no where to be found. Serious post-holing and snow bridge collapse when you scramble up along the creek. Beware. We got about 0.6 miles from the lake, decided we had enough and turned back.
Surprise Lake Snowshoe
— Apr 18, 2010
— DC
Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail | Avalanche danger
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The log over the stream is at exactly 1.8 miles from the trailhead. After we crossed the stream, the...
The log over the stream is at exactly 1.8 miles from the trailhead. After we crossed the stream, the snow got deep. We put on the snowshoes and were able to follow the trail for a while. Lost the trail and picked it back up a few times. As we headed up the steep slope to the left, we could no longer see the trail. We could have traversed the slope a few times and made it up, but it wasn't going to happen on this day. We were about a third of a mile from the lake with 500' of elevation to go. The slope is steep and looked a little avalanche prone on this warm day. I am curious to see the path of the actual trail when the snow melts. This last mile of this hike is very tough when snow is present.
Surprise Lake #1060
— Mar 08, 2008
— Springboard
Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Surprise Lake trailhead was unused since the last snowfall, and with some rain that had fallen the trail was nowhere...
Surprise Lake trailhead was unused since the last snowfall, and with some rain that had fallen the trail was nowhere to be found. My buddy and I hiked through the woods and headed to the southeast (knowing that was the direction of the trail). I had done this snowshoe hike two years ago and remembered the direction we went. I knew we would hike between two small mountain ranges where Surprise creek drains. So we just hiked through the woods until we ended up to the snowfields, and ended up about 200 feet above the trail. We could see the creek below. Hiked across some avalanche slides, maybe we shouldn't have, but we did. Had lunch in the trees, and made it close to three miles out. Decided to turn around, and made it back to the truck just before 3:00pm. We had started at close to 10am. Not a bad day, with the weather clearing during the hike. My redbone coonhound is exhausted sleeping on the couch, and I'm on my second Mirror Pond. Life is good today. Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
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It came as no surprise that the trail to Surprise Lake would be full of snow. It is a north...
It came as no surprise that the trail to Surprise Lake would be full of snow. It is a north facing valley where one of the last big snowstorms of winter hit. The good part is that the trailhead is very close to the highway. Access is via the railroad maintenance yard just 10 miles east of Skykomish on the south side. Go over the tracks and find parking about 100 yards down the rocky road. Continue on foot west along the road to the trailhead. The trail goes up under the powerlines and then gently into the valley with the river on your left pretty much all the way to the waterfalls. The snow was still about 2 to 4 feet deep but was melting fast. This is a dangerous time for hiking because gushing runoff from the slopes is undercutting snow everywhere and the packed sections of the trail are little more than 2'high ridgelines down the center of the puncheons. |
Photo by Joel F.
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