Crystal Lake─ a trail less taken if you take the old way
Quick Facts:
Location: White Chuck River Valley, Mountain Loop Highway
Land Agency: National Forest Service
Roundtrip: 9.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,150 feet
Green Trails Map: Mountain Loop Highway 111SX
Access: Take Exit 208 off of I-5 following SR 530 east for 32 miles to Darrington. Then head south on the Mountain Loop Highway proceeding 9.0 miles turning left onto FR 23. Drive 5.8 miles turning left onto FR 2700. Continue for another 2.4 miles to trailhead.
Contact: Darrington Ranger District: Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest (360) 436-1155; www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs
Recommended Guidebook: Day Hiking North Cascades 2nd edition (Mountaineers Books)
Good to Know: old-growth, trail less traveled, dog-friendly, wilderness rules apply at the lake, practice Leave No Trace principles
A tranquil lake at the edge of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, Crystal Lake was once pretty lonely territory. But new access from a reopened logging road from the Suiattle River Valley has made this a much easier to get to destination. If you hike the old way in however, you will still have a pretty much quiet hike. However, the trail is growing in, so bring some brush cutters or wear long pants. The old access does however provide a shorter and easier vehicle access to the trail.
Begin by following an old road bed, climbing a couple of hundred feet then losing most of it. Much of this hike as well as the adjacent trail to Meadow Lake utilize logging roads that were decommissioned in the 1970s and 1980s. At 1.6 miles, reach a junction. The trail right heads towards Meadow Lake and Meadow Mountain, destinations worthy of a return trip to this area. For Crystal Lake, take the trail left. The grade is fairly easy (but brush may slow you down) for two miles on old road bed to an old cut. Then with Crystal Creek cascading alongside the trail, the way heads insanely steeply up an old fire line.
The grunt thankfully is short lived. Once above the old cut, the trail resumes on a saner grade and enters beautiful old growth forest and soon afterward, the Glacier Peak Wilderness. A quarter mile farther, Crystal Lake with its meadowy shores greets you. Good camps and lunch spots grace the lake’s outlet. A fisherman’s path climbs steeply to the basin housing Meadow Lake. And if you want views and are feeling energetic, from the lake’s outlet you can follow the Circle Peak Trail (which also accesses the other trailhead) through forest and meadow to just below the 5,983-foot peak. From the old lookout site enjoy sweeping views of peaks near and far. Especially striking are Washington’s “three Matterhorns;” White Chuck, Pugh, and Sloan.
Crystal Lake is one of 136 hikes featured in my best selling and most trusted guidebook, Day Hiking North Cascades 2nd edition, Pick up a copy today and discover other trails less traveled!
