Larrabee State Park is a gem, especially when the snow blankets the Cascades and Olympics in late autumn through spring and into summer. Having already hiked to Fragrance Lake twice, Oyster Dome and Lily Lake (wonderful outings) - I decided on Lost Lake but initially was daunted by the mileage required to hike there.
I always study the terrain on CalTopo online before trying out a new hike and realized that we could park on Cleator Road (there's a pullout big enough for 3 or 4 cars) just past the connecting trail leading up to Chuckanut Ridge Trail.
I could tell from the topo maps and the orientation and name of the trails, that there was probably a good sized cliff just to the east of the Ridge Trail - and there is. But if you head north about .8km(?) until you reach the low spot - there is a gap in the cliff at which point one can bushwhack about .3km down to North Lost Lake Trail. I DO NOT RECOMMEND ATTEMPTING THIS UNLESS YOU ARE COMPETENT IN BOTH ROUTE FINDING AND DESCENDING THROUGH VERY STEEP AND DIFFICULT TERRAIN and preferably not alone. We weaved back and forth through giant boulders, on terrain buried underneath rotten logs and leaves. Having poles enabled me to test my footing before committing.
After maybe 20 minutes of very slow going and route finding through a maze of rock and downed trees, we emerged onto North Lost Lake Trail, having cut 4 miles off the hike if one had followed Ridge Trail until it met Lost Lake Trail. At one point my my hiking shoe got stuck between two boulders and I nearly lost my balance which could have resulted in a wrenched knee.
From here, we journeyed south along the unique geological bench above Lost Lake, taking in some very large Doug Fir trees just down slope. We then took the Rock Trail up past the cliffs (my favorite section of the entire trip), taking the right fork at the top onto Double Black Diamond Trail, past the summit of Chuckanut Mountain Middle Peak, and then following Ridge Trail north, with views of Kulshan (Baker) to the east. Total distance 3.84 miles in just over 2 hours, 971 feet of elevation gain.
Don't forget your Discover Pass for this hike, and I suggest not arriving before 830am (there is a gate with a sign on it that indicates the gate is open after that time).
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