Angel Staircase #1259.4,Cooney Lake #429,Eagle Lakes #431,Boiling Lake #431
Jul 30, 2005
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Angel Staircase
- Region: Central Cascades -- Lake Chelan
- Trails: Angel Staircase (#1259.4)
- Avg Rating: 2.25
- Be Aware Of
- Bugs
I decided to try a loop a little further from Seattle to avoid some crowds. It worked. Even though this area is open to horses and motorcycles, I only saw three bikes and a string of pack mules all weekend. No hikers.
It was crazy hot on the way over through Wenatchee and Chelan. I wasn't sure what I was in for. By the time I reached the trailhead at 4800 feet, it was a milder 80 degrees. The trail was dusty, but not a problem when solo. The poodle didn't dig on eating my dust and quickly took the lead for the remainder of the trip.
It's a nice, equestrian graded climb to the Eagle Lakes at 7 miles or so. The views begin to open up within a mile of the lakes. From the lakes the trail climbs a bit more seriously up to the nice cool Horsehead Pass at 7600 feet. The views really open up to the west from the pass. Back to the east you can see out into wheat country. It's an odd sensation to see flat wheatland from this elevation. Boiling Lake is now visible 600 feet below the pass to the west. I continued on past Boiling Lake to the approximate midpoint of the loop near an unnamed pass between Boiling Lake and the Angel's Staircase. The west side of the Sawtooths is much more beautiful than the east. Don't stop at the Eagle Lakes and turn around. After a cold Guiness and some mac and cheese, I was in bed by dark. The mosquitoes were out a bit more seriously at dusk. The were thick near water throughout the day.
The next morning we were on Pt 7820 west of the unnamed pass by 7AM. The views here are remarkable with Ranier, Daniels, Hinman, Glacier, and some beautiful peaks west of Lake Chelan all visible. From here I continued on up the Angel's Staircase to a pass at 8000 feet. A quick scramble to Pt 8321 revealed more incredible views to the north. A traverse above Merchant's Basin reaches another pass looking down on Cooney Lake. Sunrise Lake is visible to the south in a beautiful little cirque.
A quick steep drop down to Cooney brings a distinct change to Larch. This must be beautiful in the fall. I did a bit of fishing here at Cooney and the trout were small but willing. On that note: I was surprised to see trout in the other lakes I had passed as well. The middle Eagle Lake and Boiling Lake were both quite shallow and it seems as though they should freeze solid in the winter at this altitude (the lakes are in the 7000 foot range).
The trail out from Cooney is mostly forested. It felt like a long 8 miles. I didn't venture into the Martin Lakes on my way out. The dog and I were both pretty tired when we reached the truck at 2PM, the same time we'd left on Friday. The odometer on the GPS said 25 miles and 5500 feet of gain. Due to the gentle grade of the multi-use trail, it didn't feel as bad as it should have. The wildflowers were at their peak and incredible right now. Don't let the multi-use designation scare you away.
A quick skinny dip in the Methow on the way out to cool off and lose the trail dust and we were home in Everett by 6:30.
Both photos are from the top of the Angel's Staircase. The first is looking back to the northwest where we came from, the second is looking south across Merchant's Basin.
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