Heather Lake (near Lake Wenatchee) — Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025

I had the trail to myself on a beautiful fall day. The trail is brushy in places which can result in wet pants if the leaves are wet.  There were a number of downed trees but they were easy to get over or around.  There is a rope stretched along a slanted log crossing which was a lifesaver as a handhold because the log was very wet and slippery.  At about 2 miles the trail makes a sharp left up a rock.  It is evident that many others have continued to go straight despite the sticks and rocks that have been placed to block that trail. The hike felt fairly easy despite the distance since most of the elevation gain happens over about one mile.  The trail gets faint in places in the steep area so a GPS map could be helpful if not experienced. Colors on the hillside at the lake and a brush of snow at higher elevation made for a beautiful scene. My Garmin watch clocked the trail as 8 miles.