Bathtub Lakes, Pinnacle Lake & Bear Lake — Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Overall 7.4mi RT 1080m ascent. This is pretty much Class 2 the entire way, haha. The trail to Pinnacle lake is replete with roots and mudholes, so the going is somewhat slow, and becomes more difficult. There is decidedly no trail around the lake; having a boat would have been easiest :P The initial crossing is into bushes and overgrowth, with some manuevers on moss-covered rocks next to the outflow/creek. Continuing around the south shore, there is a ten foot section on leaf-covered rock that is directly above the lake; conveniently, it would only be a few feet to fall, but if the leafless shrubs aren't strong enough to hold some weight, down you'll go into five feet or more of water. Next there is some scrambling. Hiking the shore would take roughly 10--15min, but these conditions require thirty. The initial rise up the gulch is through the creek. All the indications online of yellow markers and a big "Iodine Gulch" paint on a rock are incorrect: All that stuff is at bathtub lakes and only at the top of the gulch. The main ascent is entirely up to you. Sometimes the shore is best, but, generally, stick to the stream or the rocks on the way up, crossing to the other side when necessary. Some routes may lead you to Class 3 climbs. Bathtub Lakes are spread out quite a bit, with some ascent/descent. Traveling eastward is definitely more difficult/confusing, but it's fairly obvious when you've lost the markers. It's kinda sad to see so many markers up here, actually, but it is what it is. The lakes are nice to look at, but probably have nothing on the enchantments. I had hoped to make it to Pilchuck, in order to find the ascending connector trail, as I would prefer to approach the lakes from that side, but there wasn't time. A through hike with two cars would be best; a bike to make it back from Pilchuck trailhead to the Bear Lake forest service road would make routing easier.