Bear Lake, Pinnacle Lake — Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

We had planned to ascend Pilchuck today, but it was cloudy over the Mountain Loop, and I decided to save Pilchuck for a day with more views. We came up with Bear Lake and Pinnacle Lake as an alternate, after stopping in at the Verlot Public Service Center. Ranger Marisa was very helpful and even had copies of directions and maps for hikes within the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. We took a map for Bear/Pinnacle Lakes, on FR-4021, and headed down the road. We reached the TH at 10:15 am, with only 4 other cars in the parking area, which has room for about 15 cars. We started at 10:30 am. Our first destination was Pinnacle Lake--we decided to save the easy one for the end. The trail is in standard condition per the description--muddy, rooty, and slippery. It is not particularly steep, but the mudholes and rootiness slow you down a bit. It is not truly a difficult hike, just one that does not lend itself to easy footing. Ascent time was 90 minutes. The lake was calm, with occasional cover by fog. Wildflowers made a small presence, including foxglove on the road, and foamflower and oxeye daisy on the trail. Berries are in abundance, especially huckleberries at the lake. There were also salmonberries and bunchberries, and Devil's club. We did not see a lot of other hikers, but 3-4 other small groups did go up to Pinnacle Lake. We descended over 60 minutes and took the other fork to Bear Lake. The trail to Bear Lake was very easy to walk and we were there in 4 minutes (I timed it). Bear Lake was mostly covered by fog. At Bear Lake, I appreciated the logic of visiting Bear Lake first to use the toilet there at the start of your hike--if outdoor open-air toilets are your "cup of tea." When we returned to the car, there were 10 cars in the parking area.