Spent 2 nights at Marmot lake with a day trip to Jade. This has been on my bucket list for years, and it was wellll worth the effort. We set out on Sunday, arriving at the BUSTLING Tuquala meadow trailhead around 10am. The gravel road is pretty smooth, just that one dip with water in it, which we navigated without a problem in a Subaru. I don't recommend going on a weekend, as this trailhead has been discovered and is quite a playground for the adventurous alpine lakes fans heading to Jade, Robin, Diptop and Pea Soup. Apparently everyone has discovered these true gems of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness!!!
The first few miles of trail are flat along Hyas lake. Great spots to camp and set out a floatie if you're a new backpacker or just want a place to basecamp. Hyas is a bit boggy, but nice and expansive. After a couple of easy miles with low stream crossings, you head up some switchbacks until you intersect the Tuck and Robin trail to the right. A few more paces and you're at malfunction junction at Deception Pass where the PCT rolls through. The Marmot lake trail is signed and you head off to the left. I must say that the BERRIES WERE OUT IN FORCE and they were absolutely delicious!
The trail rolls through lovely meadows. Flowers are certainly past their prime, but some fireweed and columbine are still showing. Pass a couple of small tarns, a lovely flowing creek, and then head DOWN. Then back UP to the junction with Lake Clarice. The ascent was mostly shaded through the forest, luckily, since we were climbing in the heat of the afternoon. You pass a lovely waterfall, too! We decided to check out Lake Clarice, since my book mentioned it was worthwhile and had a campsite. The 0.8 mile spur trail was a bit overgrown, and the lake was charming, however we scouted the area and didn't find any suitable flat spots for a tent. The lakeside was sloped and overgrown. Perhaps a hammock camp could work, but we decided not to force it and headed over to Marmot as planned. The side trip added an hour and 1.6 mile, but we were still glad we got our eyeballs on yet another lake in the ALW. The final 0.5 mile to Jade is a soft forested trail that easily switchbacks up to the lakeside. We arrived around 6pm. My GPS marked the trail junction to Marmot/Clarice at 8.5 mile from the Tuquala meadow trailhead, so officially 9 miles to the first view of Marmot lake.
I was surprised at how many hikers were out on a Sunday night. Marmot has some great campsites along the water, as well as several spots up in the trees. My preference will always be lakeside, and we scored a spot near other campsites that had easy waterfront access. I call this the 'downtown' area. With a breeze from the lake, the bugs were nearly nonexistent... although I did get a few bites after the wind died down. I'm guessing mosquitoes are still active in the wooded campsites. There are lots of social trails, berries, trees, lake access, and swimming spots along Marmot. We found a toilet, although I never saw a sign for it from the main trail. What a fun basecamp! We did see some areas where folks had left toilet paper, which is a shame. Burry it or use the toilet, please! We heard marmots singing, but didn't spot any. Clear night sky and bright moon! The air was super dry, but we did have some dew on our stuff in the morning.
Monday we had a lakeside breakfast enjoying the placid morning at Marmot lake. We packed day packs and headed on our Jade Lake scouting mission. There aren't any signs for Jade, and I'm guessing it's because so many folks already know about it. To get there, you follow the main trail around the far side of Marmot. The trail is narrow and edgy at times, making you think you might have lost the main trail, but you haven't. There are maybe 2 small campsites at the farrrrr side of marmot. You'll cross over about 2 scree fields before you can't go any farther around the lake, and your only option is to head UP a narrow scree slope. My Gaia GPS was quite accurate for route-finding. There are some small cairns marking the way, but it really wasn't that difficult to find the route. You really can only head up, and aim for the narrowest, lowest spot at the top of the talus/scree field. Dusty boot prints are a good clue if you're unsure. Only a few sections are dicey, then you'll see a dirt path off to the left side of the scree, which will take you to the top fairly easily. The trail from Marmot to Jade is about 1.5 miles, and it took us about 90 minutes with day packs. I wouldn't love doing it with a full pack, but plenty of people do. Poles were super helpful.
After you reach the top, the trail is obvious, crossing a lovely meadow, passing by No Name lake (which has great swimming and several campsites), you catch your first glimpse of the wonderous Jade down in the next valley.
Take the trail down to enjoy the wonderland of Jade. Plenty of social trails and campsites all around, and a little scramble to reach lakeside, where we of course jumped in the icy, emerald blue water. I guess plenty of people keep going, but my eyes were satiated and we frolicked for a few hours before heading back down for naptime at marmot.
Tuesday we headed out around 8:30 from marmot, and made it back to the car by 2pm. What a freakin adventure! I'll add a couple of photos here, and then share a link to my Gaia GPS track and a photo album with more videos of the route.
Comments