Mileage: 5.4 miles RT
Elevation Gain/Highest: 1368ft/2418ft
Map: Green Trails Granite Falls No 109 and Silverton No 110, my GAIA
Favorite Eats After Hike: LJs Bistro & Bar, Mirkwood Public House, Creekside Ale House, Glorybucha Microbrewery, River Time Brewing, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
Hike Details:
One of the most popular hikes on the Mountain Loop Highway, Lake Twenty Two is a short and beautiful hike to an alpine lake nestled beneath sharp cliff walls. I usually only visit during the winter months as summer brings hoards of people, often with tractions devices on my feet for the slick wooden walkways and steep sections of trail caused by compact snow turned to ice. There is also an avalanche chute along the way, as well as chutes around the lake on the loop walk, so if going when snow is accumulated, it is best to check the conditions.
My Hikes:
12/21/2017
I didn’t realize until I came to post about this hike today that I only seem to do it around the same time of year! We started just before 9am with just two other cars in the parking lot (yes, only 2!). I chose to put on microspikes right from the beginning because I am recovering from an injury and there was snow and ice on the trail making it slick. Plus, you add all the wood structures and it is an accident waiting to happen. As it was still early in the morning, everything wet from the day before was frozen expect for where some stream run directly over the trail.
At .75 miles in we came to the sturdy bridge over the creek from Lake 22 and the first set of falls. It was so good to be back out on the trail and hearing the sound of rushing water over the dark boulders. The trail continued to climb gradually and the multiple sets of check steps put in to keep the trail from eroding were filled with water and ice. At about 1.1 miles we came to the second, larger waterfall and stood to watch the water cascade down into the ebony pool below.
The views from the switchbacks at 1.5 miles up opened up and we could see the Mountain Loop valley below us and the Boulder River Wilderness and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie forest spread out along the horizon. Liberty, Three Fingers, Bear, Sperry, Vesper, Dickerman, Big Four and even a tiny peak of Glacier. It was hard to leave but we knew more was coming at the lake.
We arrived at the lake at about 10:22am and the scene was just as I remembered it. There was only one other hiker and he was heading around to the left to circumnavigate the lake so we had the place to ourselves while we snapped pictures and sat to eat a bite. It was early in the season so the avalanche prone slopes on the backside of Mt.Pilchuck were relatively bare but more snow is sure to come.
Knowing there was a moderate avalanche risk, we decided to finish our snack and follow the boardwalk around to the right a small ways and see the lake from a different angle. After only going a short distance, we ran into the hiker we had seen earlier and he told us that there wasn’t any sign of avy behavior so we set a plan to walk the whole loop around the lake. The snow was deeper here, I imagine because less folks take the path, but it had already been broken through so we did okay with just the spikes. Snowshoes would have been fun but not worth hauling up just for the lake section.
By the time we made it around, the crowds began to arrive and it was a steady stream up the trail as we descended. It was still quite icy and slick but what little warmth the day was providing added a flow of water along a fair amount of the last mile to the parking lot. Although we had traction devices on (and so very glad), we were the odd ones as most were just in trail runners taking careful steps. Just be cautious if you go!
2/20/2016
I haven’t been to Lake Twenty Two for a few years, so it was good to get out and visit this classic. The avalanche risk was high today, and Lake Twenty Two does have a few spots to watch out for. The trailhead was snow covered and I would recommend AWD. We opted to not take our snowshoes because we knew the trail would be compact and we would not be going around the lake due to the avalanche risk.
The trail had was snow covered off and on in the beginning and when we reached the first real stream over the trail we opted to put spikes on and kept them on the rest of the hike. The temperature had risen 20 degrees since this weekend and although the snow is tampered down, it was started to melt and there was plenty of postholing into the water crossing the trail. There were folks out without traction but they were moving pretty snow due to the slippery conditions.
Carefully, we reached the potential slide chutes as you approach the lake and spaced ourselves out but the snow felt stable so we were not concerned. I could imagine, however, how a slide could occur here.
Our arrival at the lake was about 11:30am and had a snack observing the slides on the other side of the lake that had already occurred. The clouds moved in and out, trying to decide between dark and ominous and bright blue and puffy. We could see track marks on the lake, hard to believe someone was walking on the lake before it has frozen over.
We did walk around the lake to the left just a bit and had fun digging a pit and observing the snow stability (or lack there of).
We felt good with our decision to not continue around and headed back down the trail. It had begun to snow/rain at this point but it didn’t last too long. We had more precipitation falling off the trees! The clouds rolling over the surrounding hills was eerie on our way down, and we took time to watch the rushing water at the falls. There were also a few switchbacks cut with glissades (albeit short ones) that added to our fun today.
Directions: Take Hwy 92 to Granite Falls and at the first of three roundabouts, follow the signs for Quarry Rd. Continue on Quarry until it comes to a T with N. Alder St. Turn left towards the Mountain Loop HWY. 13.1 miles ahead, turn right into the short entrance to the Lake Twenty Two TH (hard to miss). The parking area is located around a gravel loop and holds nearly 50 cars. This is a VERY popular hike, expect to see cars spilling out onto the highway if you have slept in. There is a privy available and you will need a Northwest Forest Pass.
For more hikes on the Mountain Loop HWY, click HERE.
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