Trip Reports

The promising weekend forecast led us up to Maple Pass Loop to check out the fall colors before further snowfall sets in. At the trailhead at 9:00 a.m. it was 31 degrees. The larches were certainly lovely and golden, but many still have a tad bit longer to go before their peak, but not much. We hiked counter-clockwise and took the side trail down to Lake Ann, which added an extra (easy) mile to the hike and was worth it for the lakeside scenery.

As was described in another recent report, there was off and on compact snow and ice on part of the trail as we descended. We had the instep crampons in the pack but since we had poles figured we'd be fine - well, at least that's what we thought until my companion ended up on the ground. Several people had the good sense to hike the loop clockwise, some to reduce the risk of a fall, and others to reduce wear and tear on their knees.

Spectacular place. Greedily can't wait to return for the flower show next summer.

If it is possible to have the perfect hike, this was it. The temperature was in the low to mid seventies, with a light breeze, and not a single cloud in the sky...not even any haze. A cool, rainy spell the week before seemed to have sent the bugs packing. I probably saw a dozen mosquitoes all day.

This is a great outing for a party of mixed abilities: my husband took our 7YO and went to Lake Ann, and I took our 13YO and hiked up to the pass. We saw maybe 20 other parties.

The Lake Ann trail is looking great. At the lake, there's lots of driftwood to play on, and the stream is wonderful for splashing. You'll also find plenty of shade for lunchtime.

The loop trail is in beautiful shape; no blowdowns and very little overgrowth. As always, be cautious white hiking along the ridge on the west side of the lake. There are a few patches of trees on top where you can enjoy a lunch break. Even if you're heading back down from here (like we did, in the interest of time), make sure to plan for the hour or so to hike along the ridge with your camera. If possible, climb up to Frisco Pass; look for the wood pole indicating the high point of the trail at 6850 ft.

A note about maps: My National Geographic TOPO software didn't have the loop trail. The TOPO kiosk at my local REI didn't show it either. Both of them did show the Lake Ann trail and the Rainy Lake trail. And the TOPO section was obviously the conjunction of four maps (which didn't match up well). The Green Trails maps show the trail, but to get the entire trail you will need to buy both #49 (Mt. Logan) and #50 (Washington Pass, I believe). I ended up printing the TOPO map for the Lake Ann portion, and greatly enlarging the lower-right-hand corner of #49 on my copy machine.

I was blown away by this hike! Almost the entire course of the trail offers spectacular and ever-changing views of jagged peaks, meadows full of wildflowers, and alpine lakes. The trail is rather steep at times, but you will be completely distracted from any strain by the beautiful scenary. The only downside to this hike is the noise from the highway (mainly at the beginning and end). Overall, I highly recommend this hike!!

This hike was great with amazing views. At the start of the hike near the Lake Ann turn-off there were a lot of bees around us but after passing the meadows no more bugs bothered us. The hike was not too hard except for a few sets of switchbacks climbing up to the ridge. The trail was sort of busy, we encountered about ten people but it was a Sunday. The loop takes you down by Rainy Lake after you reach the ridge at Maple Pass, which we had heard was steep, but seemed the same as the way up to me. Every part of the hike has new and beautiful views and I would recommend going now while the wildflowers are all still in bloom!

As a side note, we were camping at Lake Diablo and had used the Google earth feature on this website to get directions from there. It told us to go to Manzama Road when in fact the trailhead is located on Rainy Pass at the Rainy Pass Picinic Area, which was much closer to us.

Please be aware that there is significant Black Bear activity in this area. On our overnight, we witnessed a very habituated bear walk directly up to a camp and destroy it - at 1:30 in the afternoon at Lewis Lake despite our attempts to spook the bear. We talked to the folks who's camp it was later and they said that their camp was 100% clean and we saw their food hung perfectly away from camp. This bear KNEW exactly what (s)he was looking for as it walked directly to the camp from a few hundred yards off. Spooky. We also heard many other reported sightings within in these drainages during our stay (Lake Anne, Heather Pass.) All this in addition to warnings posted of recent activity at Lake Ann. Travel safe or elsewhere!

Other than that, the flowers are still great! There also appears to have been some significant landslides into Lewis Lake in the winter/spring which has left the lake brown with silt. I heard there were large cutthroats in there but I'm wondering if there has been a fishkill as a result of the silt. It appears to be quite bad and no sign of any fish feeding.

Bugs active but not intolerable.

This has got to be one of the best day hikes in North Cascades region. It was a bright sunny day with clear blue skies when we went. As suggested by everyone, it made sense to start the loop counter clockwise, as the descent was quite steep when coming back.

After a brief walk in the covered forests, the trail opens out beautifully. Lake Ann comes with us almost throughout the trail, and what a sight it was. The meadows were already filled with lot of wildflowers, and i would think that around August 1st week, this area should feel like paradise with even more wildflowers flowering. The views throughout the trail are awesome. When going towards Maple pass, dont forget to take a small trail which comes on the right, as this is the short trail to Heather pass. Heather Pass is a beautiful pass, and one gets a view of the crystal colored Lewis lake from a distance on this pass.

Maple Pass offers wonderful views of the cascades. After Maple pass, the hike is pretty steep and strenuous but this is only for half a mile or so.

During the descent, one can see Rainy lake from a distance. The descent is very steep and can be painful to the knees.

Carry lot of bug spray as bugs thrive here. This hike is surely a gem - it has wildflowers in abundance, splendid views of mountain peaks and glaciers, views of crystal colored lakes, a little bit of forested hike and wonderful passes.. A pristine place to enjoy the best of North Cascades..

We are really being blessed this fall. Usually October rolls around and the clouds roll in. I start wondering where my next trip to sunny destinations is going to be. What was this? Our third sunny weekend in a row? Or has it been more than that? I'm a climber so my memory isn't good enough to go back more than three weeks.

The g-friend has been wanting to see golden larches and hike the n-cascades for weeks now. We bedded in Mazama after a hike up to Easy Pass on Saturday. The Maple/Heather Pass trail is great. The entire length had been hiked by numerous others so was easy to follow despite the snow. Snow was present right from the start and never was more then 6" deep except for some drifting in spots. We donned our new Yak-Trax for a short time up high where the trail got pretty icy. The were helpful but certainly not necessary.

We did the hike in the counter-clockwise fashion as described by most writers. This certainly seemed the more esthetic and functional way to do it. The first pass, Heather Pass, is reached in an hour or so. The views to Lewis Lake and Black Peak are tremendous. Maple Pass is just another 45 minutes or so beyond this where views of Glacier Peak and the Cascade Pass area dominate. The trail drops quickly off the backside below views of Frisco Peak. Rainy Lake in it's deep cirque appears every now and then. We were tempted enough by views of it to turn east when reaching the Rainy Lake trail and heading the extra half mile up to see the lake. Definitely worth the effort!

We did the loop hiking counterclockwise in ever-changing weather conditions, but always with the presence of a light rain even when the sun tried to come out for brief periods! We saw only 2 groups of hikers: 6 ahead of us and 5 who passed us as we were standing and eating our lunch at Maple Pass. They were hiking the trail clockwise. We have large umbrellas we carry to protect our cameras and these were our constant companion throughout the hike. The lighting conditions were good for capturing the beautiful fall colors which are at peak or near peak. This is one of our favorite fall hikes and was very pleasant even in the rain except for the area from Maple Pass to the high point of the loop on the shoulder of Frisco Mountain where we encountered frequent gusts of high winds! We did our usual side trip from Heather Pass on the way trail to Lewis and Wing Lakes. This is one of the prettiest areas of the loop!

Just after 8:00 AM, on a bright, sunny morning, I headed up the Lake Ann-Heather Pass trail. It was a long time getting here….I first saw a Philip Hyde photograph of Lake Ann in 1965. It was on the cover of the Sierra Club book The Wild Cascades-Forgotten Parkland, published as part of the effort to establish a North Cascades National Park. I was fascinated with the photos of these mountains, and thought that I should one day visit Lake Ann. It took 43 years, but at last I was on my way. This hike was featured in the August issue of Washington Trails magazine. As suggested, I did the loop counter-clockwise, and agree it makes sense--- a gradual ascent with ever expanding views. The colors are starting to change, with reds and yellows phasing in. The larches are still green, with the exception of the very tip of one tree that provided a preview of what’s to come. The pikas are busy harvesting…I had to stop abruptly as one little guy dragged a 3’ long flower stalk across the trail and down to its’ pantry. By going mid-week and starting early, I passed only 7 people all day. I hear this trail can be very crowded on weekends. This is just a great loop hike that requires only moderate effort. The only negatives are the somewhat tedious, tight switchbacks near the end and the traffic noise as you near the highway. This hike should be on your must do list…and don’t wait 43 years….4 stars-mtnowen says check it out.