Pyramid Lake–A puny lake, but monumental surrounding forest
Quick Facts:
Location: Ross Lake NRA, North Cascades Scenic Highway
Land Agency: National Park Service
Roundtrip: 4.5 miles
High Point: feet
Elevation gain: 1500 feet
Difficulty: moderate
Contact: North Cascades National Park
Green Trails Map: North Cascades Ross Lake 16SX
Notes: Dogs permitted on leash.
Access: From Marblemount follow the North Cascades Highway (SR 20) east for 21 miles to trailhead located on your right; park on left side of road.
Good to know: Dog-friendly, kid-friendly, exceptional old-growth
Calling this tiny body of water a lake is definitely an overstatement. Pond, maybe. Pyramid pool is more like it! Don’t do this hike anticipating a grand body of water at the end of the trail. Do it for the trees! An impressive cathedral of ancient forest lines the way to Pyramid Lake. This hike is definitely more about the journey than the destination—and it is quite a journey through a forest that has stood in place for centuries.
And while the lake isn’t much, this easily accessible trail gets a fair amount of hiker traffic as it makes for a good spring conditioner or a late fall snow-prober. Trail starts right besides Pyramid Creek. Catch its cool breezes—then immediately get to work climbing. Under a thin canopy of lodgepole pine, work your way up a ledge. It’s slow going here with roots, loose rocks, and tread-choking salal. Hang in, it gets better.
Marching up a rib above the crashing creek, periodically peer over your shoulder through the sparse forest-cover for glimpses of Davis Peak and Sourdough Mountain across the Skagit Valley. After about a mile the pine and fir forest transitions to mature hemlocks. Come to a branch of Pyramid Creek and hop across it to a beautiful cedar grove.
Now alongside the babbling waterway continue climbing. Towering ancient cedars and Douglas-fir soon humble your stature. Make one final grunt. Cross the babbling creek once more and arrive at Pyramid Lake shortly afterwards. Not much huh? Actually there is if you look at this body of water through ecological eyes. Rough-skinned newts thrive here. Look for them floating near the surface and hiding in the detritus, And those big ole logs floating in the lake harbor scads of sundew, an omnivorous plant. No need for you or the newts to worry though, they prefer puny insects.
For more information on this hike and many others in and around the North Cascades National Park complex , consult my best selling Day Hiking North Cascades 2nd edition!
For information on other things to do in the area and where to stay and dine-consult Northwest Tripfinder
