Heather Lake — Wednesday, May. 1, 2024

Bottom Line:

Unlike neighboring Lake 22 with its beautiful waterfalls, this hike is more about the destination than the journey. The trail is rough with a lot of water erosion of old stairs and bridges and really amounts to hiking in a creek bed for significant sections. Nothing wrong with that of course, but the dense 2nd growth forest is Mt Si-esque in its starkness, at least the middle section. Some big step-ups, water-eroded stairs and areas of slick roots might make this less family-friendly until it dries out a bit. Heather Lake basin is without a doubt beautiful, with a very nice (although snow-covered) boardwalk around the marshy and granite boulder-strewn lake shore. No showshoes or microspikes required, but areas of ~1-2' postholing. Beautiful lake reflections and fresh snow on the peaks! The south end of the basin becomes shady by mid-afternoon right now.

Stats:

• Distance: 6 miles
• Vertical: 1300 ft
• Duration: ~ 3 hours (lots of time exploring the lake basin)
• Weather: Mostly cloudy with sprinkles, 40Fs, no wind, few sunny breaks
• Road/Parking: NF4220 (Pilchuck Rd) is in excellent condition up to the trailhead with very few potholes; the trailhead has plenty of parking (couple dozen cars); toilet available; there is a sign about this being a high theft area and not to leave valuables in the car; National Forest Pass required; the road is gated at the trailhead, so this is the end of the road for now (due to snow)
• Water: Plenty of water on the trail, and of course at the lake, for filtering; I did not carry water
• Flowers: among the flowers -- salmonberry, skunk cabbage, bleeding hearts, white waterlily (lots) and trillium; lots of tiny yellow flowers I did not take the time to identify :)
• Trail: The trail on paper is very similar in effort to Rattlesnake Ledge - ~4 miles RT (without circumnavigating the lake) and ~1200 ft vertical. The difference is that the trail is quite rough and eroded in sections, with water damage to bridges, stairs and the trail bed itself. This was my first time on the trail, so cannot say this is new. At least 1/2 of the ascent is on an old logging road that becomes somewhat more disguised with the ascent. The forest character changes with elevation - the bottom with stump remnants of some massive old trees, the middle with dense 2nd growth that is dull and blocks out any understory, and the top transitioning from some massive old growth trees (e.g. amazingly huge cedar with a split top ~1 mile in) to smaller subalpine trees near the lake. There is a lot of flowing water on and over the trail right now, so waterproof boots are recommended. There are a few waterfalls, but nothing like neighboring Lake 22 with its many beautiful falls on the ascent. The boardwalk around the lake is mostly buried in ~1-2 feet of snow, but there are clear sections (see pics) CAUTION: areas of postholing, but nothing too bad (colder day). Quiet - only saw a handful of other hikers
• Takeaway: The lake basin is likely very beautiful in the summer with all the reeds growing in the lake and the shallow green water (somewhat muted on a cloudy day). I know it looks amazing from the Pilchuck lookout! It is a transition season right now, with only early growth in the lake basin. Need to return mid-winter to do this as a snowshoe - seems pretty ideal!

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.instagram.com/wta_alpinewanderer/