The North Lake trail is one of several trails accessed from the trailhead at the end of the Twisp River Road. The road is paved part way and then newly graveled the rest of the way, and is smooth driving all the way to the trailhead. We were the only car at the trailhead, and we saw nobody else on the trail all day. When we got back to our car, another car was there but that party of two had headed up to Twisp Pass. Judging from the trail register, the North Lake trail sees few visitors.
The trail itself consists of three quite distinct sections. It starts off switch-backing gently upward through an open, dry forest of charred trunks. The single-track trail bed is soft underfoot and the only hazards are the numerous pine and fir cones littering the trail from the scattered living trees. A trail crew has been through and cut numerous downed logs which had obstructed the trail when we were here in June. (Thank you!) However, two new snags have fallen over the trail more recently in the section between the intersection with the Twisp River trail and where the trail swings north to head up the North Creek Valley. These are too large to clamber over and have to be detoured around. The only other obstacles on this part of the trail are the overhanging branches of the trailside bushes, which have encroached over the trail and must be pushed aside. This is easily done, but results in wet pants on a wet morning.
The second section of the trail side-hills steadily up the west slope of the North Creek Valley. This section contains the steepest parts of the climb and also the rockiest trail bed. Most of this section travels through the burned forest with its burgeoning undergrowth of bushes, young trees and flowers. These have overgrown the trail in many places, so pushing through the undergrowth becomes the norm. Nevertheless, the trail is never hard to follow and all of the spring’s deadfalls have been cut away. Views down to North Creek and up along Abernathy Ridge to the east keep things interesting. The only water still available on this exposed and potentially hot section is from one creek about half way along. The trail enters the unburned forest not far below the crossing of North Creek. Views disappear, but so does the overhanging trailside brush and the rocky trail bed.
The third section of the trail starts after the ford of North Creek and goes all the way to the lake. The ford was easy to cross via rock-hopping, in spite of recent heavy rains (see photo). Once on the other side of the creek, the trail takes on a different character altogether. After a short, rocky section resembling an old stream bed (not the sharp, angular, rock-slide debris characterizing the lower trail), the trail bed becomes soft forest duff. This section seems to be an old road bed and is wide and gently graded. It goes through dense spruce and hemlock forest in a broad valley. The dense forest canopy offers no long views and permits little light to filter down. Although hiking through the forest was very pleasant, we were happy when limited views finally opened up as we passed the marshy section and pond, just before reaching the lake.
Trail crews have taken chain saws to a number of very large, downed trees along the forested section of the trail. Many of these cuts seem very recent. We were grateful for this work and for all of the obvious trail improvements along this section.
The lake itself is truly lovely. We hiked to the south end and explored the little tarn above and just south of the lake, lying at the base of soaring Gilbert Mountain and its rocky ridge (see photo). The view north over the lake to Abernathy Ridge was lovely, as well (photo). This beautiful, open, sub-alpine cirque is a great reward for the long walk in. Larches dominate around the south end of the lake and march up the north-facing slopes of Gilbert Mountain and its flanking ridges (see photo). All the larches are still fully green, but I expect that the basin will be gorgeous in a month or so when the larches are golden.
Note: We saw fish jumping in the lake, but a sign at the trailhead said the lake is closed to fishing.
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