Palouse to Cascades Trail - Easton — Friday, May. 11, 2018

My family's departure to California and a friendly WTA members reminder that it stays light out later prompted me to scheme to squeeze in as many hikes as possible.  I'd recently been looking through some sixties era hiking books and decided to explore this one from a 1969 first edition of Trips and Trails, 2.  Though it suggested a much shorter starting point it's now on private land and I wanted some distance anyway.

We started north from the Iron Horse gate where road 5480 crosses it.  This is a flat rail grade that skirts Keechelus Lake and has views out to Easton Ridge and beyond.  We came across a 'backcountry campsite' along the way where there's large flat tent sites on the left side of the rail bed with picnic benches and fire rings and on the right a privy (locked) and sign board with another picnic bench.  There are social trails leading to the lake and this alone could be a good walk for young children.  A little further along is the bridge crossing Roaring Creek. Before the bridge on the left a few rough trails lead down to a swampy area where you can cross a small tributary and push your way through thick brush.  Sticking close to the creek for a short ways we turned uphill a bit and then traversed towards the falls.  A faint path took us over a few trees and to the edge of the pool.  There's a survey boundary marker 15 feet away from the water here marking private property.  Be respectful and stay close to the creek.  We could see that in late Summer low flow you could work your way along the cliff face and behind the water which is also mentioned in the book.

To get there take I90 east and turn off at exit 62 going right on Road 54 and heading towards Stampede Pass.  In roughly 2 miles turn right on Road 5480 to Lost Lake and park on the left just before crossing the Iron Horse Trail in about another mile and a half.  Walking distance is 3 miles with a few hundred feet of bushwacking.