Silver Peak, Annette Lake

Sep 24, 2009

by abwolfe — last modified Sep 29, 2009 01:14 AM

Type of Outing: Day hike

Read More in our Hiking Guide: Hike: Silver Peak; Region: Snoqualmie Pass -- Snoqualmie Pass; Agency: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Cle Elum Ranger District; Avg Rating: 4.10
Read More in our Hiking Guide: Hike: Annette Lake; Region: Snoqualmie Pass -- Snoqualmie Pass; Agency: Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, Snoqualmie Ranger District; Trails: Annette Lake (#1019); Avg Rating: 3.50
Why You Should Go Now: Fall foliage
Be Aware Of: Blowdowns; Overgrown; Mudholes

Annette Lake view from Silver Peak. (abwolfe)

Silver Peak and Annette Lake have been on my To Do list for a while, so my pal Ruck and I decided to visit both on a weekday through-hike. We started from Windy Pass (3820 ft) and hiked up to Silver Peak (5605 ft), then dropped down a humongous talus slope to Annette Lake (3600 ft), and hiked out to the Annette TH (1900 ft). Distance was about 8 miles, elevation gain was ~2000 ft, and downhill was ~3900 ft.

The marine layer was thick along I-90, but it was blue skies by the time we reached Windy Pass along FS 9070 (road's in fine shape, any car can make it). We started hiking the PCT (#2000) past Olallie Meadow. You can tell it's early fall, as the berries are mostly gone and the leaves are turning red. Nice woodsy hike below Silver Peak, with occasional muddy spots. Ruck got ahead of me, and I was enjoying the PCT so much that I overshot the side trail that heads up to Silver Peak. Fortunately, I stopped to admire a large tarn and checked my GPS, which has a topo map with Northwest Trails on it, and saw I had gone about 200 ft too far. Quick tip: The turnoff is somewhat indistinct, but it's marked with a cairn and is a short distance beyond the switchback section that drops you 150 ft.

The side trail was steep and a bit overgrown, requiring occasional scrambling as it gained 450 ft in half a mile, with occasional blowdowns. Once I hit the heather-and-scrub ridge and turned north toward Silver Peak, the views started coming and the meandering trail was quite pleasant. Then it was up a small talus slope, with great views back toward Mt Rainier, and through some pleasant meadows, where we had a snack before the final climb around the felsenmeer to Silver Peak summit. The 360-degree view from the top was well worth the trek - just outstanding in every direction. We could see the marine layer still thick along the I-90 corridor to the west, but everything else was blue skies.

The most challenging part of our hike came next, as we descended a 2000-ft talus slope to Annette Lake. The top section was especially tricky, with large, unstable rocks. Further down, the rocks were smaller, making for easier footing and some nice "scree ski." (We joked that if one of us fell, our SAR friend could rescue someone he knew for a change.) This section is not recommended for everyone - no trail (although there are a few cairns), and very physical.

My thigh muscles and knees were relieved when we reached Annette Lake, and we took another snack break before the final leg of our journey. The lake was quite pleasant, with a lone fisherman trying to free his line from a snag. No bugs, but also no berries. As we hiked down Annette Lake Trail (#1019), we saw several folks, the only ones we encountered all day. The trail was in great shape, with woodsy views down Humpback Creek valley. The section that crosses the power lines had been recently reworked and was less visually appealing, but Humpback Creek was lovely when we crossed the bridge near the end.

This hybrid hike turned out quite well, although it was a bit more physical than I anticipated, with magnificent views and early fall color.