Lake Ann - Maple Pass Loop
Oct 26, 2008
by
austineats
—
last modified
Oct 26, 2008 11:15 PM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Lake Ann (Rainy Pass)
- Region: North Cascades -- North Cascades Highway
- Agency: Mount Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest, Mount Baker Ranger District
- Trails: Maple Pass (#740), Lake Ann (#740A)
- Avg Rating: 4.31
- Why You Should Go Now
- Fall foliage
- Be Aware Of
- Snow on trail
We are really being blessed this fall. Usually October rolls around and the clouds roll in. I start wondering where my next trip to sunny destinations is going to be. What was this? Our third sunny weekend in a row? Or has it been more than that? I'm a climber so my memory isn't good enough to go back more than three weeks.
The g-friend has been wanting to see golden larches and hike the n-cascades for weeks now. We bedded in Mazama after a hike up to Easy Pass on Saturday. The Maple/Heather Pass trail is great. The entire length had been hiked by numerous others so was easy to follow despite the snow. Snow was present right from the start and never was more then 6" deep except for some drifting in spots. We donned our new Yak-Trax for a short time up high where the trail got pretty icy. The were helpful but certainly not necessary.
We did the hike in the counter-clockwise fashion as described by most writers. This certainly seemed the more esthetic and functional way to do it. The first pass, Heather Pass, is reached in an hour or so. The views to Lewis Lake and Black Peak are tremendous. Maple Pass is just another 45 minutes or so beyond this where views of Glacier Peak and the Cascade Pass area dominate. The trail drops quickly off the backside below views of Frisco Peak. Rainy Lake in it's deep cirque appears every now and then. We were tempted enough by views of it to turn east when reaching the Rainy Lake trail and heading the extra half mile up to see the lake. Definitely worth the effort!
The g-friend has been wanting to see golden larches and hike the n-cascades for weeks now. We bedded in Mazama after a hike up to Easy Pass on Saturday. The Maple/Heather Pass trail is great. The entire length had been hiked by numerous others so was easy to follow despite the snow. Snow was present right from the start and never was more then 6" deep except for some drifting in spots. We donned our new Yak-Trax for a short time up high where the trail got pretty icy. The were helpful but certainly not necessary.
We did the hike in the counter-clockwise fashion as described by most writers. This certainly seemed the more esthetic and functional way to do it. The first pass, Heather Pass, is reached in an hour or so. The views to Lewis Lake and Black Peak are tremendous. Maple Pass is just another 45 minutes or so beyond this where views of Glacier Peak and the Cascade Pass area dominate. The trail drops quickly off the backside below views of Frisco Peak. Rainy Lake in it's deep cirque appears every now and then. We were tempted enough by views of it to turn east when reaching the Rainy Lake trail and heading the extra half mile up to see the lake. Definitely worth the effort!
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