Trip Reports

I've done the hike to Lodge Lake before and it's a very lovely hike in summer. In May, not so much. We got close to the lake but a majority of the trail markers were missing so we kept losing the trail due to snow. It was very easy to follow up until past Beaver Lake when you go into the woods, but past the first batch of trees, the trail is rather difficult to follow. We got close to the lake, but decided it was better to turn around than to get really lost or have someone get injured due to the plentiful snow bridges.

We are going to attempt again in August when the trail is snow free!

Flickr: http://bit.ly/lodge-lake

This was a backup hike as the original plan to climb Abiel fell through due to the amount of snow on 9070. In fear of getting stuck like the year before, turning around was a smart thing to do.

This short hike is best to do early spring to early winter as part of the trail runs across the Summit West ski slope. Trailhead began at the west end of the Snoqualmie West Summit parking lot, which shared with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) the entire 1.5 miles to and back from the Lake. Beaver Lake is on the way to Lodge Lake, with a tiny shed north side of the lake. Personally I think small lakes are much nicer to look at when they're frozen and/or covered in snow.

It started to rain just after we arrived at Lodge Lake and it was nice and quiet.

This is an easy hike trail that is perfect for families and a great way to get out and stretch your legs. Key points about the hike:
- very easy access to the trail head.
- first part of the hike (and return) have awesome views north and west.
- you are on a section of the PCT which is cool.
- recent trail work (WTA?) has the trail in great condition
- no bugs!
- Saturday hike during a warm weather spell and few on the trail
- our dog enjoyed access to two lakes
- Lodge lake was muddy on the edges.
- a couple of good and comfortable lunch/camping spots at Lodge Lake.
- easy to extend the hike to any distance sine you are on the PCT

We will put this on the list to do again since it is so easy to get to and makes for such a nice day.

We had a wonderful hike up to Lodge Lake. Unfortunately the sun didn’t show up, but although there was a bit of fog, it didn’t bring the temperature down too much. Five of us and our dog left the trailhead at around 1pm, and there were about seven cars as well as a horse trailer parked there. The trail was easy to follow and it was enjoyable walking under the skiing chair lifts. This is where we found a profusion of berries. There were huge ripe huckleberries & blueberries, and even a few salmon berries.

As we rounded the corner to Beaver lake, we ran into a PCT Through Hiker named Focus. We gave her some candy and a sandwich and told her that she was very close to town, and she was beaming! Beaver Lake was a nice little pond with lily pads around the edges. As we continued on we had to dodge a bit of fresh horse manure, which wasn’t too difficult as the trail was pretty wide. There was only one blow-down which was close to Lodge Lake, and it was simple enough to navigate. We passed a PCT Through Hike registration book, and saw a PCT trail marker, which gave me fond memories of my section hike a couple years back. We also ran into a very friendly Ranger, who was making the rounds and checking the condition of the trails. Thank you Rangers!!

Not long after, we came to a signed turnoff for Lodge lake where there were a few little spots to enjoy the lake. We were testing out our inflatable kayaks maneuverability (on land that is) so this short hike with a nice lake was the perfect way to give it a whirl. Once at the lake we decided to go for a swim while the other members of the group got the kayak inflated.

The recent hot streak made the water nice and warm, around the same temperature as the air. There was about a foot of mud when you stepped into the lake, so once you are able to pull your shoes out of the mud, you can wade deeper and start swimming. We made it all the way across the lake to a perfect natural diving board. A tree had fallen into the lake, but the roots were still attached at the bank, so it was strong and had a bit of bounce to it. We tested the depth of the water and after determining that we were safe proceeded to jump in quite a few times. The kayakers joined us and towed us back across to the other side to dry off. After a quick lunch we packed everything back up and went back under the ski lifts to pick some berries. There were so many berries it was hard to leave. My dog even figured out what we were doing and started eating the berries off the bushes himself.

We only ran into a few people as we were heading up, and two couples at the lake. We figured there would be more people on the hike, especially since it was a weekned, so we were pleasantly surprised with the seclusion. The hike is pretty mild, without much elevation gain and not too many roots to trip on. We also noticed that there were no bugs, besides a few beautiful blue dragonflies. All in all a very enjoyable short & easy hike, and a great way to spend the day in the wilderness!

I had time for a quick hike, so my Beagle and I headed up to Lodge Lake. It was a fun hike, crossing under the chair lifts. Soon we were in the trees and enjoyed the cool breeze. The lake was calm and quiet. This was a good calm quiet hike, which we needed. Relatively easy and few people on the trail.

As we were driving by the ski area parking lots to the trailhead, a PCT through hiker was coming off the trail. When we started the hike to the lake, it was only 58 degrees at Snoqualmie Pass. The first 1/4 mile of the trail goes through forest before breaking out into the ski area where we hiked under chair lifts. This part of the trail is some what rocky as it is used as a creek bed during the snow melt. With a good breeze blowing, it felt more like an early fall trip. Once past Beaver Lake, the trail heads down hill to Lodge Lake. Some drainage work has been down in this section. There is a PCT Through Hikers registration book on a tree just south of Beaver Lake. We check it out. Three through hikers had come by, with the first one for 2012 on August 6th. He was from Virginia. Before getting to Lodge Lake, three fisherman passed us. Once at the lake we found a good log to sit on for lunch and watch small trout jumping out of the water to eat bugs. No flies or skeeters at the lake, only a few dragon flies and some water bugs.

There was once a lodge at Lodge Lake. The Mountaineers built the Snoqualmie Lodge in 1914 and it was used until 1944 when it burned down. During the summer you'd hike up from Denny Creek Campground 1 - 1/4 miles or go 1 - 2/3 miles in the winter from the train depot at the pass.

After taking a few photos and eatting lunch we headed back as the fisherman were trying to catch the big one. Along the way we met two bus loads of kids from the Preston YMCA day camp. As we passed by Beaver Lake, we got a nice view of Snoqualmie Mtn. Guye Peak, Red Mtn. and Kendall Peak. Another nice day in the mountains.

My teenager and I just wanted to get out for an easy overnighter, so Lodge Lake sounded perfect. A short, doable-even-for-the-not-so-sporty hike that covered it all - blooming meadows, forest, waterfall, lake. No crowds at all. Lodge Lake, however, was a bit disappointing. Nice little lake, no doubt, but very muddy and since there already was someone else camping, to get to the lake we had to traipse right through their tarped-off campsite. There was another campsite a bit to the right, also already taken, so we pitched tent on an over-flow spot. Being out in the forest sure was nice, but that was about it- even without rain, a camp fire at that spot would not have been possible. Should you also plan to stay overnight, arrive early, there are only three camp sites.

As for a day hike- it really is a nice, comparably easy hike close to Seattle. Just do not plan on a scenic picnic spot at the lake where kids can frolic around in the water.

Arrived late in the afternoon and still found a nearly empty parking lot. This hike does not draw the crowds as other nearby hikes do. Trail was in very good condition with recent trail maintenance evident. Some minor biting insects to deal with, but not bad. Lots of wildflowers starting to make their appearance on the ski slopes.

Great short hike - about 4 miles round trip to the south end of Lodge Lake. This hike has wildflowers emerging new - trillium, yellow violets, mountain heather, indian paintbrush, ... so many that we hardly noticed the mud, snow, and bugs. Lovely forest and spectacular peaks along the PCT. Met a wildflower expert/photographer whose photos were in the last WTA magazine and learned about some new wildflower trails - thanks!

A friend and I decided to do a short hike to celebrate the 4th of July. I had seen people hike across Snoqualmie West and was always intrigued by how the hill looked without the now. I finally got my chance.

As we started up the trail from the parking area, there was still quite a bit of snow in the trees. We had to watch out for snow bridges, but most of the snow seemed fairly stable, as long as we stayed towards the middle. Once we got to the open slopes of West, the area was green and lush, with a few wildflowers beginning to bloom.

We followed the trail up the hill and back to Beaver Lake. There was still some snow in the shaded areas there. We met an older gentleman who was trekking out to Lodge Lake to do some fishing, and he boasted about how he was carrying all his gear and a float. Brave dude, I tell ya.

The rest of the way to Lodge Lake was fairly easy. The streams are running a little high, so we did have a few minor spills on slippery rocks, but other than that, nothing major. It was still muddy in spots, but I say, if you aren't muddy, then it wasn't any fun!

We got to the lake after about an hour and a half. It took us that long because I would stop to take pictures, or we would stop and chat. We were in no hurry. The lake was very gorgeous, but there isn't really any shoreline. We found a small sitting area with a log that jutted into the lake and had our lunch there. We continued along the PCT for a little ways longer before turning back.

If you don't have experience hiking in snow, I'd wait at least a few more weekends before trying this, but don't wait too much longer because then it will be very buggy! Overall, it was a fun trip and I'd love to do it again, especially in winter.

The section of the Pacific Crest Trail south of Snoqualmie Pass is little used even on a weekend, due mainly to less-than-thrilling scenery. But it is perfect if you need to just get out and hike for a few miles. I parked at the upper end of the ski area lot and followed the PCT south to Lodge Lake and Rockdale Creek, where I turned around. A trail crew had passed through recently, so all blowdowns had been cut, and considerable brushing done. Lodge Lake was marshy and tranquil, perfect for cooling a dog on a hot day. Not many bugs there, anymore.

Me and my 8 year old son decided we wanted to go do a hike and figured we would check out Lodge Lake since I have never been there and seemed like an easy hike to take him on. Took us about 50 minutes each way. (slower pace) Trail is in great shape and didnt have any problems with bugs. Some decent camping spots if someone was looking to camp there. Lot of flowers blooming in the open area of the ski lift area. Not a lot I can really say about this hike, but its worth doing it at least once, still nice views.

The wildflowers on the ski slopes are in full bloom and so beautiful.
While I was hiking today a terrific WTA / PCT crew was clearing downed trees between Beaver Lake and Lodge Lake. All of the blowdowns I saw on the way in were gone on the way out. THANKS!
It's very muddy by the lake. Watch out for hungry bugs.

Hiked the short 1.5 miles south along the PCT from Snoqualmie Pass to Lodge Lake. A few large windfalls but easily negotiated. Snow was patchy and didn't pose a problem. The supposed trail that leads to the inlet creek on the far side of the lake was nonexistent. Bushwhacking was intense in this vicinity.

Snow shoe hiked the PCT from Beaver Lake to just above Lodge Lake. The trail from the ski area (Beaver Lake) to Lodge Lake is under deep snow. Fortunately my friend Bob was breaking trail again, as he had done on an exploratory trip two days earlier, but his old tracks were barely visible, already covered by more snow. Progress was slowed by at least four fallen trees across the trail. Depending on how much more snow we get the next several days, the first tree (~2 ft. diam.) can be crawled under if you take the backpack off. The second tree required a detour downhill.

We decided to do the trail after lunch and by the time we got to Snoqualmie Pass it was raining there. The trail head is easily found, at the end of the long West Summit parking. We waited for half an hour till it stopped and started then. It was cloudy and cold and still a bi drizzling. The view from the ski slopes were very nice, we saw a rainbow and ate some huckleberries, quite bitter though. You cross under three ski lifts, then the trail gets into the forest. We met PCT hiker at the first lake (Beaver Lake) who has been hiking from North California. After beaver Lake the trail descends and you will see soon the lake on your right hand side among the trees. When you are down and the trail flattens again, there is a crossing with sign Lodge Lake to the right. The lake was nice, there was fog coming up from it and when we decided to go back, it was already raining again and it rained all the way back. It is a nice hike even for small kids used to hiking a bit.

Lodge Lake turned out to be a great hike for families with little kids - or a much, much older XXL kid with creaky knees... so I'll write this as the dad I am, having taken my now-grown kids hiking at various ages.

Drove up I90 to Exit 52, Snoqualmie Summit West. Got off the freeway, immediately turned into the Summit parking lot, turned right at Julie's Chair and chose the middle of three broad westbound parking lots, which curved away to the left - around the corner found two large trailhead signs and the trailhead.

Hiked a few hundred yards in deep, shaded forest; burst out onto the western fringe of Summit Ski Area runs. The trail climbed gently but continuously for the next ¾ mile, across open ski slopes covered with ferns, Paintbrush, many other flowers; great views of Guye Peak, Red Mountain, Snoqualmie Mountain and others. Eventually topped out near a "log cabin" lift hut on right; a few hundred yards further and on the right at roughly one mile was Beaver Lake (more of a pond) with apparently no accessible shoreline. Entered nice second or third cut shady forest, strolled through a pleasantly breezy saddle, dropped another mile to the sidetrail leading to Lodge Lake. Had a snack; walked back out.

Earlier trip reports detail the many flowers seen en route, the 500 feet gained to Beaver Lake, the 375 gained from Lodge Lake back up to Beaver Lake. A couple earlier reports also mentioned some difficulty finding the side trail to Lodge Lake, tho' the PCT is very obvious the entire route. So to find the side trail: as you descend southbound on the PCT after Beaver Lake you'll cross about a half dozen wood plank "bridges", lying more or less on the ground. One of these - and only one - has a very pronounced kink to the right about halfway along its length, the rest of them are straight. So, after crossing this "kinked" bridge, walk +/- 250 yards to the next straight bridge. 10 yards before that next straight bridge the obvious lakeshore trail leaves to the right, about 20 yards out passing through a vertical cutout in a 30" diameter log, visible from the PCT. And there IS a little brown sign in a nearby tree, about 8' up, saying "Lodge Lake"... This trail very gently drops about 100 yards through huckleberry bushes to the lakeshore, which has no beaches but looks like good swimming. There's a couple small campsites where the trail hits the lake, maybe more here and there (I didn't look).

The PCT up to Beaver Lake is in great shape; the PCT from there down to Lodge Lake is rockier, more rugged, generally a little more challenging. So if your kids are starting to burn out by Beaver Lake that might be a good turnaround point. Or, if you have really little ones, the few hundred yards from the car through the forest to the ski slopes might be enough - carry a picnic lunch, watch them play in the flowers. And when you exit the forest about 300 yards in there's a gravel track on the left, leading down in open grassland back to the parking lot - your toddler can do a half-mile loop!

Parking permit required at the trailhead; I don't know about parking in the ski area lot, near the bottom of Julie's Chair. There is a Forest Service Visitors Center nearby, gas station, store, restaurant across the old highway.

For families this trail compares very favorably with the much more popular and crowded Snow Lake trail: half the distance (4 miles roundtrip instead of 8), half the vertical (900 total instead of 1700), more shade (entirely shaded from Beaver Lake on), many fewer people. Lodge Lake doesn't have the broad open areas and rocky, swimmable shoreline that Snow Lake has, but nobody's perfect... Bring sunhats and sunscreen for little ones walking across the ski slopes - the views are great but there's no shade for quite a while.

Hazards: none. No snow on trail or near trail; just a few skeeters; no water on trail (a few rivlets just before Lodge Lake, don't think I'd drink it); no blowdown blocking any part of the trail. If you can treat the slight freeway noise like a rushing river, and the open ski slopes as a gorgeous avalanche flowerfield - you'll have a great time!

I haven't found this in any guide book; Green Trails #207 Snoqualmie Pass.

In a book called Wildflower Hikes Washington, I found Lodge Lake at Snoqualmie Pass—3 miles round trip, 500 feet elevation gain in, 375 feet out, high point 3500 feet, part of the Pacific Crest Trail; the trailhead is at the Snoqualmie Summit Ski area. From I-90 going east we took the first right turn into the parking area and followed a gravel road to the parking lot and the trailhead.

Most of the wildflowers were in the first mile, which was mostly in the open areas cleared for skiing: bunchberry (Canadian dogwood), wild strawberry, heather, rosy spirea, rosy twisted stalk, false lily-of-the-valley, star-flowered Solomon’s seal (not open yet), marsh marigold, bead lily, foam flower, Indian paintbrush, a very few purple asters, Sitka valerian, and lots and lots of yellow wood violets and violet ones too. New to me: a clump of yellow flowers we identified as Gold star, Crocidium multicaule, but now I see so many yellow flowers in the book I’m not sure.

In the forested areas we found trillium in all stages, from new white to dark purple. New to me was a ground cover which the book called “running clubmoss” but the N. Carolinians called “running cedar.” They said it is protected in N.C. because florists buy it to use in floral arrangements. And at the lake, lots of stinky but beautiful skunk cabbage.

We almost missed the junction with the trail to Lodge Lake, the sign was so high and inconspicuous. It was quite buggy at the shore so we went back to the junction where there were several nice logs and ate our lunch there. On one of the logs there was a fine network of dark veins that ran under the bark. Nancy identified it as phloem, which the dictionary defines as “part of a vascular bundle…forming the food-conducting tissue of a plant.” None of us had ever seen it before.

There were several blowdowns, but only one difficult to get around, and one stream crossing on rotten logs. Lots of mud and water on the trail.

The book I use to identify flowers is Wildflowers of Washington a Lone Pine Field Guide by C.P. Lyons.

The trail to Lodge Lake is pretty overgrown in places and is suffering from erosion as well. A few blowdowns also block the path. As it's part of the Pacific Crest Trail, this is surprising.

The whole area seems to be a wet environment, even in summer, as witnessed by plants like Bunchberry growing even in the hot, unshaded area under the ski lifts. As a result, this is a good trail to look for bog plants.

Again the trip title does not completely describe our trip today but we did go by Lodge Lake. After all these years, I had never been from Snoqualmie Pass to Windy Pass via the PCT. Today we corrected that problem. The large parking lot was almost empty - most people were probably on the north side of the freeway heading up toward Kendall Peak.

Heading south, the trail wanders through the "Snoqualmie Flats" ski area (my name for the area) and then turns into the woods to descend toward Lodge Lake. We met a few families and a volunteer ranger along the way. After a short detour to the lake, we continued south to Olallie Meadow where we lounged around for a long time and enjoyed our lunch. This really was a very nice meadow. I just had to connect the dots on the trail so Bill and I continued another 1/4 mile to Windy Pass and then returned to our lunch area.

On the way back we decided to see if we could find Rockdale Lake via the road system in the area. This was a nice little lake with possible mountain bike access. From here we found the ski hut at Grand Junction and then continued north on roads or ski area slopes back to the PCT. The ridge line was mostly open and the road walk was mediocre but the views to the north were quite nice - Snoqualmie Mt, Guye Pk, Kendall Pk, Highbox Mt, Rampart Ridge, Alta Mt, Granite Mt, Bandera Mt, Pratt Mt. Needless to say, we saw nobody on this road walk part of the trip.

As I write this I am still feeling like the world's biggest fool. We managed to not only lose the trail once, but twice today. We started off good and came to a tree down about 1/4 mile from trailhead. We climbed over the tree and lost the trail. This resulted in an hour of climbing over tons of brush, downed trees and snow to make it back to the open slopes of the ski resort. Where we did manage to find the trail. We hit snow about 1/2 the way around Beaver Lake, but it was easily passable for even our 5 year old. Once into the woods the trail was clear and clearly the trail. At times it was very muddy and there was lots of water running down. We came to a surprise waterfall and a stream to cross. It was over our hiking boots in the deepest part (as my husband found out). Once you leave the Pacific Crest trail, the actual trail to lodge lake is overgrown and a bit hard on the bare arms and legs. We made it to the shore and had a nice lunch, during which it started to rain. We quickly packed up and started back. The waterfall and streams had a bit more force to them and our 5 year old got soaked. Once back onto the slopes of the ski area, we lost the trail again and ended up going down to the road and walking back to the car. I still have no idea how we missed the trail the first time, so if someone else went and can tell me where I missed the turn that would be great.

We stoped at the North Bend Ranger Station on the way back to see if they had a more detailed map, to see where we missed the turn and we were informed that the trail is unmaintained, so we probably just missed the turn because the trail was overgrown and since we have never hiked this particular trail before. We will be back later in the summer after the trail is used more often to see where we made our mistake.

A friend is hiking the PCT this summer and she needed an intoduction to snow travel and ice axe arrest. Three of us started at the former Mountaineers Lodge near exit 53 off of I90. The area where there used to be a rope tow was sufficiently steep to practice snow travel but not so steep as to intimidate. This was one of the few times where I have done adequate advance research and it seemed like a logical extension of the trip to crest the ridge and descend down to Lodge Lake. People were skiing and boarding along the groomed ridge line. I think we were among the very few who did not have to pay $50 or more to cross that ridge line. There was about 400' of descent down to Lodge Lake. We found evidence of other foot and ski travellers and we thought we occasionally heard voices in the trees - perhaps we were just hallucinating. It did seem as though we had the nice lake area to ourselves for lunch and the sun even came out.