Ira Spring Trail - Mason Lake — Monday, Aug. 1, 2011

Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass

We had already hiked to Franklin Falls, but we wanted to hike some more, so we chose Ira Spring/Mason Lake. A good choice. We arrived at the parking lot around noon, just as the early hikers were leaving, so parking was no problem on this Monday. The trail starts in shade, so the early going was pleasant, and all the people coming down were telling us how wonderful the flowers were up above. After rounding the hillside on the old road, the trail started rising quite steeply and soon opened up in places giving us views of the valley below, across which we could see Mt. Rainier poking up between Mt. Kent and Mt. Gardner. What a sight! The higher we rose, the better the view of The Mountain became. But it was steep! When we finally got up to the open meadows below Bandera Mtn., the flowers were as promised. I don't think I've ever seen so much bear grass in one place as I did here, mixed in with lupine, Indian paintbrush, Columbia tiger lily, Canadian dogwood, pearly everlasting, and yarrow, with a beautiful blue sky to back it up. Lovely! Soon we crested the rise and dropped down into shade and quiet to Mason Lake for a relaxing break and a snack before heading back through the meadows. This was a very satisfying hike. The trail was dry for the most part with good tread. Approaching the lake there were a few blow-downs across the trail, but branches had been trimmed to make crossing them easy. There were some bugs, so treat yourself accordingly. Bring water and a snack for energy and you'll enjoy this hike as much as we did.