Snoqualmie Lake — Friday, Apr. 2, 2004

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

THERE IS MASSIVE BLOWDOWN ON THIS TRAIL. You dont see the massive part until you pass the concrete bridge and get to the Spur along the trail. When you get to the spur go Left. There is a sign there. The trail climbs steeply. This is when you will see the massive blow down. You will however be rewarded along this section with an awesome view of a waterfall. Many walking bridges are in very bad shape and are in need of major repair. This last Saturday was a perfect day to hike in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. This hike was a joint effort between Cascade Studios and Summit Studios Northwest. It is important to know that anyone reading this trail report be prepared should you choose to hike all the way to Snowqualmie Lake. This is a very difficult hike this time of year. Bring gaiters, plenty of water, headlamp in case you dont get back to your car until after dark, bring Snow Shoes cause there are MAJOR snow fields on the way. The closer you get to Snowqualmie Lake the bigger they get. We had to post hole way more then we wanted to. Several times we post holed almost up to our waists. Bring Trekking Poles. The Snow during the last 200 yards just before you see the lake is VERY steep. Bring a map and a GPS. You can't see the trail. It's barried in snow. Get to the trailhead very early. Daybreak would be good. It will take you 5 to 6 hours to get to the lake. On the positive side there are THREE major waterfalls on the way. These waterfalls are worthy of photography. We found the trail to Lipsy Lake but didn't have time to hike it. Most people have no idea where this trail is or how to find it. They are marked only by Ribbons in the trees. Both Martin Lake and Lipsy Lake are marked this way and Martin Lake is the first one. This is a 16 mile round trip hike. We got awesome photos of peaks and shot video of hikers in snow with peaks in the backdrop as well as hikers with huge waterfalls in the background. These will be used for the Preview video for X2. All video shot exclusively on location by Cascade Studios and Summit Studios during 2003 and 2004 will be available on DVD soon. No date is set as of yet. If you dont have take a Greentrails Map or GPS or a good sense of direction DONT DO THIS HIKE. AT least not until all the snow melts. The only reference you'll have will be the faint tracks in the snow left over from previous hikers and there is no garuntee that they will be leading you in the right direction. This trail is poorly maintained and remember there is MASSIVE BLOWDOWN along the trail to Snowqualmie Lake. Dont go alone. Always hike with a friend and have fun! Cheers! Eric