Trip Reports

Had a wet hike on the Lake 22 trail, there was a lot of water on the trail below 2000ft and a decent amount of snow above 2000ft, reaching a few inches at the lake. The lake itself was partially frozen and really lovely, with some birds wading around. Not too many people but we did see about a dozen groups total on the hike, most of whom had dogs on leashes. About 90% of the fall foliage was gone along with 100% of the wildflowers. Our footwear wasn't ideal for the wet, slippery snow, but we managed just fine. Bring appropriate footwear and poles and you'll have a great hike, great views of the surrounding valley and a truly gorgeous lake at the top.

This is a great hike for the winter season, reaching only 2400' of elevation, yet with a nice lake nestled at the foot of Mt. Pilchuck. But that's not the only attraction - it passes through a beautiful old-growth forest rife with waterfalls along Twenty-Two Creek, and is one of the most beautifully engineered trails I've ever seen. More pluses:

- No long, washboarded gravel approach road. It's just a few hundred feet off the Mountain Loop Highway.
- Lots of comfortable spots to rest.
- It's pretty short (5.4 miles), so easy to do on a short winter's day with time left to circumnavigate the lake or just sit and admire the view.
- The trail extends all the way around the lake; much of this lake trail is on wooden walkways.
- Foot traffic only - no rude bikers, no horse apples to step in.

Many winter hikes like this one wouldn't make my summer list, but this one would. Highly recommended!

Who could resist a sunny day in November? The trail was totally passable, but if you are unsure of your footing, you may want to bring walking sticks. The bottom and top of the trail have a lot of running and standing water and mud. The middle has wet leaves. Once I got to the top, the lake was perfectly still and the cliff face was dusted in snow. Absolutely wonderful.

This hike is great! Huge trees! The lake is lovely and not too cold, so bring your suit! There are some exposed areas that could be toasty on a hot day, but overall, this is a nice, fairly easy hike through beautiful woods.

Casual, close-in hike for a last minute choice.
10 am and still some parking and (better still) no insects.
It has been almost 10 years since we last did this hike.
We found several surprises.
First, I didn't remember it as being this steep, maybe its just the extra 20 pounds I am carrying.
Second, someone has done some excellent work on this trail (WTA?).
The filled log structures and boardwalk at the lake greatly improved things.
And no bugs.
Lake was very nice with some lingering clouds hanging onto the peaks.
And a lot more people coming in.
And still empty spots in the lot.

This was a great trip. Weather was warm and sunny. Since this was a Thursday, there weren't too many people. I hit the trail at 1:30pm and ran into 4 groups coming down while I was hiking my way up. I ran into another 4 groups hiking up while I was hiking my way down. There were two places on the trail that had bear scat (both places were where the trail opens up from the forest). So be wary of bears if you plan a trip here in the near future. The glacier at the far end of the lake is still well intact. My son loved to see the snow in August.

Went up here on a Wednesday for the first time. Started at 11:30 am and there were a couple cars in the lot. Pretty hike, nice and shady for the 1st mile or so, then open and sunny. Saw the bear scat everyone has mentioned, but no bears. I like the little pools on the switchbacks and swam in the lake a bit, but it was very cold when you went further out. There was some snow at the end of the lake with a little ice cave forming, some stupid people went inside it without any gear or anything. Saw a few people on the trail, but i can see how this would be super busy on weekends, i think that would annoy me a lot so i am glad i went on a week day. Saw some bugs, but barely noticed.

Beautiful hike and wonderful weather for it. The trail was in great shape. Only a few areas that were slightly muddy from runoff. The loop around the top of the lake was accessible with plenty of places to sit and enjoy the view of the lake. We went in the late morning and the trail wasn't overly crowded.

We did notice interesting feces on the trail about 1/2 way up - not sure what it was but didn't appear to be dog or deer...I posted a picture.

GREAT hike! Got to the nicely-maintained trailhead just before 9AM and found three other cars in the lot. Temps were just under 60, skies were cloudy, and we set off up the trail at a leisurely pace.

The trail is in very good shape, with a LOT of well-maintained steps, bridges, and gravel paths. In addition to the bridge over the waterfall early in the hike, there are many beautiful falls just off the trail as you head on up.

The open area about 2/3 the way up is a nice break from the forest trail and offers nice views, though we had low clouds and couldn't see much. It's still beautiful no matter the weather. We were lucky to avoid a basketball-sized boulder that tumbled quickly down and across the trail just ahead of us. Sobering.

The reveal of Lake 22 at the top is breathtaking. The well-maintained trail around the lake is completely open, with only a few patches of snow above on the steep slopes that disappeared into the clouds. Saw a pika in the rocks on the south side of the lake. It was nice to be early enough to see only about 3 other groups around the lake because it's quite serene and any sounds easily carry around the lake.

It was cool enough that there were virtually no bugs, though it was comfortable hiking in shorts and t-shirts. I can imagine that if the sun broke through the bugs would be a problem. Also enjoyed some wild blueberries and huckleberries along the way that varied in ripeness.

We headed down at about 11:30AM when there were many more groups arriving at the lake. On our way down we passed about 50 people ascending and the parking lot was full when we arrived back at the trailhead at 1:15.

I love this trail because it offers a little bit of everything that makes hiking in this area so rewarding -- varied trail types, waterfalls, rockfalls, avalanche areas, old growth, and a beautiful alpine lake with some snow. It's a great trail to take out-of-towners because it's a relatively easy hike, not too long, and there's something interesting to see on every turn. Anyone in reasonable shape should have no trouble making the round-trip in 2.5-3 hours. Add 30 minutes if you hike the mile or so around the lake.

This is my second hike for the Hike-a-Thon. I love this hike, the trail is well maintained and the falls are amazingly beautiful as is the lake. Some special features right now are the flowers blooming at the lake and there were hardly any bugs out. Most likely this was because it was a coolish day out! Great temperature for hiking! Also there is still snow on the backside of the loop around the lake. Additionally there is plenty of water for dogs to drink, unlike other places where water is pretty scarce right now. Happy Hiking to everyone and especially my fellow hike-a-thoners :0)