Hidden Lake Lookout — Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2025

Last time I was here, July 21st 2019, I rolled my ankle BAD about 0.7 miles from the trailhead on the way down. I tore my ATFL completely and grade 1'd my CFL and PTFL. Ouch... I had to tape up my ankle with some leukotape and get myself out somehow with my trekking poles. After doing the first 0.7 miles today and seeing how rough the trail was, I am amazed I was able to do it. When I saw a doctor, I learned that, fortunately, the ATFL is the one ligament in the body that heals on its own and doesn't need surgery. I was in a boot/crutches for 3 months. My leg went from rigatoni to angel hair. But by the following spring I was back hiking. To this day, I've probably lost about 5% range of motion and strength in this ankle. I've never gotten back here since, always looking for new hikes. I wanted to come back here and "defeat" this hike since summer 2020, but I think in the back of my mind, I was scared of it, so I've put it off. 

The road in is rougher than I remember it. I really recommend high clearance. There is one washout section that is actually one of the trickier sections of a road into a hike that I've driven in a long time. 14 cars in the lot at 11 am. Pretty much full. All SUVs or trucks.

There is no toilet at the trailhead. The coffee was hitting so I climbed up the slope above the lot to dig a cathole. When I got back to the car, I found my phone was missing from my pocket! After looking for 15 minutes I was able to find it. Phew. This nemesis hike is off to a ominous start.

Fortunately the hike was pretty chill. I really like this hike because you get up and out of the forest so fast. In less than 1 mile and you're in the avalanche chute where you quickly climb to the subalpine then on to the alpine. I found the exact rock I destroyed my ankle on right below the bridge with the stair and the turn on it. It's smaller that I remember haha. I guess its the innocuous ones that are the most dangerous; you don't see them coming. 

Once you almost reach the top of the col, and from then on to the col and to the lookout, there are tons and tons of social trails and choose your own adventure. This is definitely for better or for worse since the easiest way up, with the least boulder hopping baiting 127 hours, is the designated trail. I had to double back a number of times on both the way up and way down to find the best trail, sometimes getting "cliffed up" buy car sized talus. The view from the lookout is spectacular with great views of Glacier and Baker and the whole North Cascades National Park. I highly recommend going from the col all the way up to the lookout if you can handle a few scrambly moves to get through the talus at the top!

Feels good to finally have this one in the bag. 

Happy Trails!