Labor day adventure 3-day, 2-night backpacking with my hubs, daughter and granddog. Parking was crazy, counted 175 cars in the lot/along the road. We found a small area that looked like a parking area so used it. We were 1/2 mile from the TH. There are many different TH's in this area so not everyone from the 175 cars was going to the same place. Follow the signs for Cathedral Trail No. 1345 to reach Squaw Lake as it's not named on any signs. The trail is fairly steep, not the worst but you definitely get your exercise especially with a loaded pack. We ate well. I successfully made peach cobbler in an 8" fry pan on a tiny backpacking stove. Let me know if you want the recipe. Arrived at the lake and most campsites were taken but we snagged a good one with a view of the lake. The lake is sand bottom and there are areas of big boulders so you can get a little farther out for getting water to filter as it's the only water source. At the back of our campsite there was pile of use toilet paper poorly covered with branches. Didn't even bother to attempt to dig a hole. Leave no trace people. There is a pit toilet at the lake. We will pack out our waste in doggie poop bags if there is not a toilet, which frequently there isn't. There is also a toilet at the TH. We day hiked the second day to Cathedral Rock, attempted Peggy's Pond but turned back after making it precariously along a narrow, very steep, rocky goat trail. When we reached the boulder section, just as steep and narrow, it was negatory for these two old hikers with original knees (one wonky knee at that). It was beautiful views in every direction. We then headed east on the PCT for a bit before heading back. There are several small unnamed lakes along the trail, a few asters, some berries, and some orange/red foliage that felt like fall for sure. The weather was perfect (except for a little haze Friday that cleared in the late afternoon) in the 70's (guesstimating) and 40's at night. There were a lot of bees, angry bees looking for food as the pollen is pretty much gone for the season. I got stung after shaking what I thought was a dead bee out of my tent, and somehow it stung me on the knee. I carry a bug/bee product in a pen-type applicator that works very well for taking swelling, pain, and itch out of bites and stings.  Used it this trip. Not too many mosquitos but they were buzzing around. Saw lots of hikers headed to Mt. Daniel. The main trail goes along the lake and most campsites are close to the trail but met lots of happy hikers and dogs. We tracked 3.5 miles in and out (added 1/2 mile for parking so far from TH) with 1500' EG. Our day hike tracked at 4.6 miles with 915' EG. Great adventure!  

First of all I completely agree with WTA that "Squaw Lake" should be renamed to something that isn't derogatory.

The road to get to the trailhead was very difficult.  The entire ~12 miles was full of pot holes and ruts, with several fairly deep river crossings to drive over.  NOT recommended unless you have an SUV or truck, even then it might be sketchy.  

The trail was in good condition, with one particularly difficult river crossing within the first 1/2 mile.  No big deal.  We kept hiking up and eventually lost the trail around 4400 ft elevation due to snow.  We had a GPS and navigated the rest of the way to the lake.  The GPS tracked about 3.1 miles one-way, instead of the WTA listed 2.5 miles. Who knows which is more accurate...

We found a flat dry spot to camp, however we were surrounded by snow.  The lake was gorgeous.  Would be interested in hiking around the area more as there are several other options for camping.  Squaw lake was the first lake on this trail. 

I camped down the road at Fish Lake Campground area so that I could get an earlier start. There were cars lined along the road for some ways before arriving at the Cathedral Rock TH parking lot at 8:30 am. These are almost all backpackers, so its worth a try to see if there are spots in the lot before parking along the road (there were a few spots closer open in the lot). Toilet was clean and had ample TP.

The first little water crossing right outside the parking area is running higher than last time I was here, but still able to get over in trail runners with dry feet. Trail is in good shape up to Squaw Lake, where I stopped for a break. Lots of people camping up there, most on their way out I suppose because it was quiet on the way back down. Berries are pretty much done at this elevation.

After Squaw Lake, the trail climbs gradually to the pass. The pass was covered in red from the blueberry leaves, but the berries were peak ripeness. It was hard to keep pace when I just wanted to stop and snack. I stopped at the pass junction with the PCT for a break and decided to continue on the PCT to the Peggy's Pond junction.

On the map, Peggy's Pond is a short 0.7 mile trail skirting Cathedral Rock. In practice, its a sketchy traverse across rock and roots. No room for passing so pay attention to see if anyone is coming towards you. Very pretty views, but had to keep my eyes down unless I stopped. There is a lost hiking pole stuck in a pile of rocks at a split in the trail, I took a right up the hill here. It gets steep once you're back in the forest, but its short. The lake is a deep teal blue and beautifully reflects the fall foliage. Spent some time wandering the trails before heading back.

There were two hikers ahead of me, and I passed one other person, and that was it for the remainder of the hike. When I got back to the parking area a bit after 4 pm, there was a Sawyer water filter attached to a smart water bottle left on the picnic table, may still be there. The lot had depleted substantially, and shout out to the women ahead of me who offered to fill my water bottles, knowing the drive out was long. I didn't need it, but it was an awesome gesture.

My wife and I hiked to Squaw Lake from Cathedral Pass Trailhead. As the previous report said “A long drive for a short hike but was worth it. I would definitely return with intent to camp or backpack.”

When we left our home in the Eastside at 8:30 am it was raining. When we went over Snoqualmie Pass it was sunny. When we drove north on Salmon la Sac Road the sky became cloudy. When we were hiking it was exactly as the weather forecast said, “partly sunny”. The temperature was 65 degrees when we started hiking at 11:30 am and 59 degrees when we finished at 3:50 pm. Fall has come. We had rain jackets and warm clothes in our packs but we did not use them.

The last 12 miles of the road to the trailhead (Forest Road 4330) is a dirt road. As the previous report said it “goes from washboarded to potholed.” Any car can make it if you go carefully. I saw a camper van at the trailhead The water level at Scatter Creek ford wasn’t high when we crossed it (photo). It took us 38 minutes from the start of the dirt road to the trailhead. When we arrived at the Cathedral Pass Trailhead at 11:08 am, I saw several cars parked on the side of the road but there was one space left in the main parking lot.

We started the hike on Cathedral Pass Trail #1345 and within 0.1 mile we crossed a bridge over Cle Elum River. And 0.3 mile in we crossed dry creek bed. The trail was almost flat until this point then steady climb starts. We reached the junction with the Trail Creek Trail at the 2 mile point. Then the trail flattens in 2.4 miles with 1,400 feet elevation gain. We arrived at the lakeshore at 1:30 pm. We saw two people packing up their gears at the campsite. We hiked a little farther but we could not find any good lunch spot so we returned to the campsite that had just been vacated. We had lunch there and took some pictures. The wind was calm and the lake reflected the scenery like a mirror (photo). We had the lake to ourselves for 30 minutes. We left the lake at 2:15 pm and returned to the trailhead at 3:50 pm.

I picked a few blueberries to eat (photo). Some were sweet but most of them were sour. I guess we got there too late. There were too many horse droppings on the trail (no photo). You need to be careful not to step on them. We encountered a few people on the trail and most of them kept social distancing, used face coverings or both. I was dismayed to see several campfire rings with charred firewood even though I saw many “No Campfires” signs.

My Garmin clocked 5.4 miles with 1,520 feet elevation gain (photo).

A long drive for a short hike but was worth it, plus there are more options to extend if you have time. The gravel road in is long, and goes from washboarded to potholed, and we had to drive over moving water at one point (pictured). That being said, there was a Miata at the trail head so if they can make it, most cars can, slowly.

We arrived at the trailhead around 9:30 am (weekday) and there were a lot of cars in the large parking area, but it serves other trails and backpackers, and there was still open parking spaces. Bathrooms were open and clean, but there is no trash service here so plan to pack it out. 

The trail was beautiful and quiet. We encountered 3 other groups the entire time, and no one was at the lake the whole time we hung out. Ripe blueberries and salmon berries on the lower section, blueberries near lake haven't ripened yet. There is a composting toilet near the lake that is in good shape. There were some bugs, but were deterred with picaridin.

I would definitely return with intent to camp or backpack.