Bottom Line:
OK - what is there not to love about a LOOP! Flowers, snow, incredible mountain views, turquoise lakes, waterfalls - go now! The summer gets dry in these parts, and right now is the perfect mix of lingering snow, lush green slopes and flowers. There are some snowfields to cross on this loop but nothing that prompted me to put on my microspikes. I have visited often in the fall, but not so much in the spring, and now I realize I have been missing out on the beauty of this trail! Expansive views north into the Pasayten and south to Glacier Peak and the glaciers of North Cascades National Park. Clockwise or counter?! I think this time of year "clockwise" (i.e. Maple-Heather Pass) is best for views (conventional wisdom is counter for larches), but most of the traffic was counter with many folks turning around when hitting the snow after Heather Pass. Less snow but more flowers than Mt Baker's Heliotrope the other day.
Stats:
- Distance: 8-3/4 miles
- Duration: 5-1/2 hours
- Vertical: 2210 ft
- Road/Parking: Hwy 20 up from Mazama is really beautiful right now with the lingering snow in the mountains offsetting the dry slopes around Kangaroo Pass and Washington Pass. The Rainy Pass trailhead was busy but nothing like larch season. We parked 100 yards up Hwy 20. National Forest Pass required. Toilets at trailhead.
- Weather: Sunny and warm, 70s, light wind
- Flowers: The flowers were breathtaking, with more to come as snow melts. Right now, the main concentration of flowers are on the Maple Pass ascent (clockwise) pretty much up to the pass, and then below Heather Pass on the descent (due to all the lingering snow). The variety depends on elevation of course - e.g. it will be an extended season for the lilies as the snowfields slowly melt out. Among the varieties: paintbrush, glacier lily, pasqueflower, arnica, columbine, thistle, heather, columbine, shooting star, penstemon, desert-parsley, phlox, cow-parsnip, lupine and buckwheat.
- Water: The (clockwise) trail up to Maple Pass is mostly dry, so we carried water. There are a couple small creeks when you first hit the meadows. The trail from Maple Pass down to Heather Pass has lots of flowing water for filtering. We did meet some folks running out of water on the counterclockwise descent from Maple Pass.
- Trail: The clockwise trail (left at the trailhead towards Rainy Lake) starts with switchbacks in beautiful forest with increasing views of Rainy Lake and east to Washington Pass (need to hit that lake in my packraft another time!) The Rainy Lake basin is encircled by a high headwall lined with waterfalls - beauty! Emerging from the forest, you hit flowered meadows and larches with amazing mountain views punctuated by lingering snow. To attain Maple Pass, you climb up a rocky, flower-strewn scree/meadow slope overlooking a small lake/tarn that has some remaining floating icebergs. Cresting the pass, the trail is mostly snow-covered down to Heather Pass or so, with stunning views of Ann Lake and its island. The flower fields above Ann Lake are stunning. There is some mud and flowing water on this side of the trail. The "whomp whomp" of grouse were our constant companion. The trail was not that busy but would have seemed even less so if we had gone counterclockwise given that seemed to be the preferred route. Overall, the trail is moderate, and if you are like me, the miles and vertical just melt away once you start drinking in the alpine views and I feel like I could hike forever :)
- Takeaway: This is a spring beauty and timing right now is about optimal! Famous as a larch hike, it is equally beautiful in the spring with the lush meadows, waterfalls, flowers and snow patches setting off the landscape. The views right now are clear and endless - no fall smoke! The trail was full of tourists from other states, many not prepared for snow in July it seems. Next time, will check out the spur to Wing Lake from Heather Pass, which is simply SPECTACULAR in the fall (it looked a little too snowy still today).
The attached 4K video will take time to upload and convert to high definition. It might be a tad long - sorry, it was all so beautiful!
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