Little Kachess, Mineral Creek & Spectacle Lake — Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2015

Snoqualmie Region

This was a 48 hour vacation in the cascades. Left Seattle on a Tuesday evening and got to the Kachess Lake campground by 8pm. I camped along the lake than night and got an early start the next morning for the trek up the Mineral Creek trail and up to Spectacle Lake. I camped on the land-spit on the lake and returned to by car the next day. 7 hours of hiking time from Kachess Campground to Spectacle lake and another 6 hours hiking time back down. My round trip was about a total 6,200 ft elevation gain and 26 miles (I'm not sure of the mileage nothing is noted on my map). Kachess Lake and Little Kachess Trail: Of the whole 26 miles of my trip the stretch from the campground along the lake was the worst. After the initial well level and graveled trail it climbs up and down the hillside gaining and losing hundreds of feet of elevation along the lake. Several rough scrambles up rocks or steep ledges. BTW: the bridge from the trailhead is gone but it is easy to cross Box Creek along the rocks. Just north of the island is an area with a toilet and camps. I found two nice trees to hang my hammock for the night with a scenic view over the lake on a prominite point north of the island and camps. The trail was strenuous, but not poorly maintained. There were about 3 blowdowns left over the trail. Mineral Creek Trail: From the end of Lake Kechess, the trail takes a gentle sloop along the valley and is well maintained. There is a large camp at the crossing of Mineral Creek below Hibox Lake. From here the trail is overgrown till the creek crossing below Park Lakes. The trails is easy to follow, there is just a lot of chest high brush that you need to push through. I would not want to do this section in the rail or on a dewy morning or you would get soaked. Having long pants was nice. PCT to Spectacle Lake: This section was the luxurious crest trail. Well maintained with long drawn-out switchbacks up the ridge and down into Spectacle Lake. Great views over the mountains along this stretch. It was incredible watching the training runs of military fighter jets cutting up the valleys and along the ridges here. Two planes in the morning and two in the afternoon each day I was on the trail. Spectacle Lake: The most scenic lake I've been to along I-90. Lots of camping on the large landspit. The water was brisk, but swim-able. I passed two day hikers, but other than that I was the only one at the lake. Bugs were awful around the lake.