Low land lakes that are a long hike

[martyg]

Hey

I am not looking to defile any secret locations. I am preparing for a first decent of a river in Mongolia. My training for trips like this has always been long days outdoors - hiking, trail running, paddling technical stuff, big stuff, long stuff, etc.

Can anyone give me the lowdown on some decent low land lakes that are a long ass hike in? My regular Olympic lakes will be snowed in until July.

Feel free to PM me with any info.

Thanks.

MG

[Nooksack Mac]

By the nature of human population and development dynamics, practically all lowland lakes are going to have a road to them (although some may be gated). Even most lakes in the mountain wilderness are not many miles in from a trailhead. If you want to do conditioning hikes, why not get snowshoes or crosscountry skis and head into the mountains, anywhere that's avalanche-safe? Having done that, I can assure you that your legs will get a healthy workout.

[Rory McMahon]

My reccomendation is hike around the hancock tree farm. Just park near the road gates and hike in, im sure you could put together a good 15-20 mile loop if you really wanted to. You just gotta map of all the roads.

[Brian Curtis]

Do the Wallace Falls loop. You can visit Wallace Falls, then keep going up the trail and hit the old road that takes you to Wallace Lake for some fishing. Then you can complete the loop back to the car. That's a great walk.

[MosesLakeGuzman]

Dusty Lake in Grant county. It is about a half mile walk with about 1000 feet of verticle.

[Big Tuna]

What about the Seeps lakes? I would think you could get some hiking into those.

[Snake]

It's not a lake trip, but it would be good training for Mongolian river running:

Carry a kayak up the Elwha until you hit snow (about 20 miles). Kayak back down.

That would be a good day, especially if you found time to fish. ;)

[Nooksack Mac]

Here's another idea, a different way for "a long hike to a lowland lake:" The Chelan Lakeshore Trail. From Chelan, a little town on the Columbia River, rent a ride on the excursion boat halfway up the 55-mile lake to Prince Creek, from which it's a 17.5-mile hike up to Stehekin, the landlocked village at the n.w. end of the lake. Or you can ride farther and get off at several other points along the lakeshore for a shorter hike. You ride the same boat back down to Chelan. The ups and downs in the trail total about 3000 vertical feet. Plenty of lakeshore exposure, but I have no idea what the fly fishing opportunities might be in Lake Chelan.

See Hike 51 in the Mountaineers' book "55 Hikes in Central Washington." You could also do it in a kayak, one or both ways. Now is the perfect time for that hike. In the summertime, it's baking hot, and frequently on fire.

[Smalma]

Both the Wallace and Hancock suggestions are good ones.

Another you might consider is the Chuckanut mountian lakes South of Bellingham. While the hikes to each indivivudal lake is less than you are looking for a visit to a number of them could provide a decent workout. I would especially inlcude a trip a trip into Lizard and Lilly just south of Chuckanut as well doing the Pine - Cedar loop on Chuckanut. Other lakes in the area include Mud, Lost and Fragance.

Another location if you are interested in a weekend trip with the family would Moran State Park on Orcas Island in the San Juans.

Tight lines
Curt

[ceviche]

Where do you live, Marty? Your profile doesn't show that. It would help everyone point you in the right direction if you spill the beans. You never know: There might be the perfect place a short drive away.

[KerryS]

You might try Day Lake. Last time I was up there there was a gate across the road. The road was never very good and now I would think it sucks without traffic on it for several years. Can't remember how far in it is.

[Daryle Holmstrom]

You might try Day Lake. Last time I was up there there was a gate across the road. The road was never very good and now I would think it sucks without traffic on it for several years. Can't remember how far in it is.

Kerry is right, think it's at least ten miles uphill and you follow deer creek way down in the canyon to the right. Used to fish the beaver ponds in the headwaters leading into the lake itself, and the lake, lots of Eastern Brooks back then but I don't know about now. Last time I tried to access it they had a guard on the road to stop the tree spikers from driving up. Nice lake, headwaters to Day creek that drains into the Skagit.

Daryle

[Jay Allyn]

Try hiking to some of the foothill lakes in Eastern King County back behind Duvall and Carnation. There are quite a few that are accessable from the Stossell Creek area. Many of these lakes are tiny beaver pond and creek fed lakes with no names that usually hold small cutts. Just get a map and start walking.