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Ferguson Lake Trail

North Cascades > Pasayten
48.7832, -120.6178 Map & Directions
Length
1.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
140 feet
Highest Point
6,631 feet
Calculated Difficulty About Calculated Difficulty
Easy
  • Mountain views
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Lakes
  • Established campsites
Saved to My Backpack

The trail to Ferguson Lake is an offshoot of a now mostly abandoned loop trail that skirted Wildcat Mountain and followed Eureka Creek. Fortunately, the route to Ferguson Lake, which includes the Ferguson Lake Trail is still maintained. Continue reading

Rating
3.83 out of 5

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Hiking Ferguson Lake Trail

The trail to Ferguson Lake takes off from the Eureka Creek Trail, a loop trail that skirted Wildcat Mountain and followed Eureka Creek. Now, the southern part of the Eureka Creek Trail is only maintained to the junction with the Ferguson Lake Trail 474A.

The Ferguson Lake - Eureka Creek Trail "junction" is hard to miss, as the obvious route just changes names in a left turn. An old sign indicating the route to Ferguson Lake is on a tree about 50 feet to the south, along the abandoned Eureka Creek Trail. From the "junction", Trail 474A does a shallow climbing traverse for 0.5 mile to get around a secondary ridge. A 0.1 mile shallow descent leads to Ferguson Lake, lying in a cirque of Wildcat Mountain.

There are campsites on the west and northwest side of the lake, with a large horse camp a ways northwest of the lake.

The trail is sporadically maintained, so expect a few logs to get over or under or around.

Note: The entire route from the Slate Pass trailhead to Ferguson Lake is 13.4 miles roundtrip with 3360 feet of elevation gain (1510 feet going in, 1750 feet coming out).

This trail is part of WTA's Lost Trails Campaign. Learn more about how we're saving lost trails across the state here.

Hike Description Written by
Rolan Shomber, WTA Correspondent

Ferguson Lake Trail

Map & Directions

Trailhead
Co-ordinates: 48.7832, -120.6178 Open in Google Maps

Before You Go

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WTA Pro Tip: Save a copy of our directions before you leave! App-based driving directions aren't always accurate and data connections may be unreliable as you drive to the trailhead.

Getting There

There is no trailhead for Ferguson Lake. To access the trail, drive to Slate Pass (Buckskin Ridge Trailhead) as follows. From Mazama on Hwy 20, follow the Lost River Rd 7 miles and turn right to stay on NF-5400. Continue on NF-5400 for another 12 miles, and reach the parking area and trailhead on the hairpin turn on your right.

Hike the Buckskin Ridge Trail for 0.9 mile. Turn right onto the Whistler Cutoff Trail and follow it for 3.1 miles. Turn left on the Middle Fork Pasayten Trail and follow it for 0.6 miles to a junction. The trail to the right is the Eureka Creek Trail and the subsequent Ferguson Lake Trail.

The trailhead location is the Eureka Creek Trail - Ferguson Lake Trail junction.

More Hike Details

Trailhead

North Cascades > Pasayten

Ferguson Lake (#474A)

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Methow Valley Ranger District

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Ferguson Lake Trail

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