Dewey Lake #968,Cougar Lake #958.1
Jul 15, 2007
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Dewey Lake
- Region: South Cascades -- Chinook Pass - Enumclaw or Hwy 410 area
- Agency: Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Trails: Dewey Lakes (#968)
- Avg Rating: 3.54
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Cougar Lakes
- Region: South Cascades -- Chinook Pass - Enumclaw or Hwy 410 area
- Agency: Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests, Naches Ranger District
- Trails: Cougar Lake (#958.1)
- Avg Rating: 1.80
- Be Aware Of
- Bugs
A few of us hiked into Cougar Lakes for an overnight this weekend via Chinook Pass / Naches Peak Loop trail / PCT. It was about 17 miles round trip.
Three parties camped at Cougar Lakes, in addition to us. Several campsites in this area are closed for habitat restoration, and we had a bit of a challenge finding a good one. (Cougar Lakes are known for horses and bugs, though no horses were there this weekend, and I wonder if they can get to the area via Bumping Lake given road washouts there.)
Cougar Lakes were the buggiest lakes I have ever camped at. The bugs were terrible all along this route, but particularly at the lakes. The three of us have about 116 mosquito bite welts among us! And we were wearing bug dope! We wished we'd have stopped and camped at lovely, sunny, less buggy American Lake instead of heading on to Little Cougar. Seems like its a bad bug year so far.
The trail was in fine shape until the junction to the trail to Cougar Lakes, at which point it turned rutty, steep, muddy, rocky, and generally unpleasant.
Some wildflowers are out and they were most plentiful en route to Dewey Lakes from Chinook Pass (magenta paintbrush, avalanche lilies, beargrass, phlox, valarian) though I think the display is a week or two away from spectacular. We saw a flock of evening grosbeaks at our camp at Cougar Lakes and heard a pileated woodpecker as well. Other sitings: only one dog off-leash and a party with three horses on a day trip.
Thanks to the WTA work crew who are spending a week here! Today they were removing blowdowns.
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