Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Keechelus Lake - John Wayne Snowshoe
Well pardner, if you're looking for a gentle, but rustic outing, John Wayne can help you out. The old railroad right-of-way that runs across the state is known as the John Wayne State Park, while the actual physical trail (the old railbed) is the Iron Horse Trail. But whether you call it the John Wayne Trail, the Iron Horse Trail, or the Keechelus Lake Trail, you'll find this a great route to enjoy with the family. The flat, well-graded trail is perfect for kids of all ages.
Climbing slightly west from the trailhead to get on the trail, turn left (south) and stroll south along the trail as it hugs the slope above the waters of Keechelus Lake. The trail (like the old train route before it) pushes east to Idaho, but there's no need to think so far out. The trail is often groomed, and when it is, snowshoers should stick to the outside edges of the path--and don't tread on established ski tracks if it can be avoided. From the trail, you can look across the lake at the rushing traffic on I-90, and above that ribbon of frenetic activity, you'll see the jagged crown of Rampart Ridge and the high summit of Mount Margaret at the northern end of Keechelus Ridge. At about 2 miles from the trailhead, you'll find the base of some steep avalanche chutes. Until the late 1990s, huge old wooden structures covered the route here. They were snow sheds--basically, roofs over the railroad tracks to divert avalanche snows from covering the train route. This is a great place to turn around--move much farther east and you risk running out of snow as the trail continues to drop in elevation. Author’s Rating: Easiest. Generally good trails for beginners, with little elevation change and minimal avalanche danger.
Driving Directions:
To get there, from Seattle drive east on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass to exit 54, signed Hyak. Turn left and drive about 1.5 miles south on Forest Road 2219 to the Hyak Sno-Park. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
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Snow on trail
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This is a great route for beginner snowshoers, but even intermediate skill level will enjoy this rou...
This is a great route for beginner snowshoers, but even intermediate skill level will enjoy this route. We enjoyed having some people around for safety. Trailhead is extremely easy to find at the Hyak sno-park. Just make sure you have the appropriate permits/passes. There was a booth with an employee to ensure we had the correct permit.
The weather was very comfortable and despite the overcast sky we had some beautiful views along the lake and down the valley. We meandered off the Iron Horse trail several times to enjoy exploring around the edge of the lake, but beware of dangerously thin ice! Take the side road to Lake keechelus boat launch and day use area. The Iron Horse Trail had instructions on how snowshoers can share the trail with groomed cross country users. No snowmobiles in this area! Day hike
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Trail is so close to I90 I was sure it would be crowded with snowmobiles. Didn't see one all day. ...
Trail is so close to I90 I was sure it would be crowded with snowmobiles. Didn't see one all day. Possibly related to the football game? Easy to find the trail in the snow. Eventually the trail does not cross a road. The description rates this as "more difficult", just to know if you are not on the road, it is going straight up hill. The trail goes by what looks to be a private cabin, then continues up to the ridge. I didn't make it to the ridge, but there are some great views of Mt. Rainier at the cabin and past the cabin. On the way back it is possible to sit down and slide down the hill (I found out by falling and sliding).
Good work out, great views, easy access, would recommend this trail, but wonder if on a non BIG game day if there would be lots of snowmobiles. Snowshoe/XC Ski
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What a wonderful day for snowshoeing! The sky was bluebird blue and the snow was sparkling like jew...
What a wonderful day for snowshoeing! The sky was bluebird blue and the snow was sparkling like jewels!
We arrived at the Hyak Sno Park around 10:30am and waited in a line to pay for the pass. If you don't have a seasonal Sno Park Pass make sure to bring your Discovery Pass and purchase a day Sno Park Day Pass at the booth. I don't know what to say about a heated restroom except that it was awesome! Running water too! Plenty of parking too. And if you have kids there is a snow sledding hill. The snowshoe was perfect. We did some of the Iron Horse Trail which was groomed for cross-country skiing. But there was a good path next to the groomed area for snowshoeing. We stayed on the trail for a little while but when we got closer to Keechelus Lake we headed down. We followed a snowshoe trail to the lake. Don't want to take any chances breaking new trail too close to the lake. We stopped for lunch at slight hill overlooking the lake. Although the tempatures were in the 20s, it didn't feel too cold because of the sun. The snow was like powder and sparkling. The only time it was icy was when we did a little snowshoeing under tree cover on our way back up to the trail from the lake. I highly recommend this easy snow shoe. Easy parking, great restrooms, groomed trails, and beautiful scenery. Day hike
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Though there hadn't been any measurable new snow for the week the trail was still in good shape for ...
Though there hadn't been any measurable new snow for the week the trail was still in good shape for snowshoeing. Many Cross Country Skiers were on the path as well.
If you're coming fromm the Hyak Sno-Park parking area, take the trail break that goes to the left about a 1/4 mile in. It gets you close to the lake and you can see some awesome mountain views all around on partially clear day. FYI- currently (hopefully not anymore if the bill passes!) you need a Sno-Park pass as well as the Discover Pass to park in the Hyak Sno-Park parking area. When open, you can buy the sno-pass from the kiosk onsite. Also, no dogs allowed in this particular area in the winter. Day hike
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We parked at Hyak and headed east on the John Wayne. The 1-2 feet of snow was frozen so we left the ...
We parked at Hyak and headed east on the John Wayne. The 1-2 feet of snow was frozen so we left the snowshoes in the car.
When we got to Cold Creek we followed some tracks down toward the lake for some great photos and some trickier travel. On the way back we turned down toward the lake near a gate. We made our way down to the boat ramp, climbed up the little hill and wandered out a spit into the lake. It was beautiful! It seems so remote yet I-90 is just across the lake. Some of those drivers must have wondered about us crazy hikers out there almost in the lake. Day hike
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I took a friend in need (who’s not up for a hard core trip) for a nice snowshoe walk along Lake...
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 Photo by WildCelticRose.
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