kendall katwalk to spectacle lake

Difficulty: Hard. Kendall Katwalk RECOMMENDED ROUTE Intermediate/Difficult 4.7 (39) Areas WA North Cascades Snoqualmie Pass " A beautiful hike with stunning views - one of the 100 Classic routes in Washington! From Exit 52, turn left onto State Route 906 (road name may not be posted) Cross under the freeway and, in 0.10 miles/0.16 km, take the first right onto Forest Road 9041 (road name may not be posted) A short trail leads from the lot on the left to the trailhead at the end of the lot on the right. A moderate to difficult hike and some of the trail was very narrow though much wider at the Katwalk than I thought it would be judging by pictures I saw previous to the hike. The approach is long, never leaving the hum and scattered views of I-90 until around 2 1/2 miles. updates, images, or resources. Just ahead of Spectacle Lake, there was a small junction - one that led north (unmapped on our Caltopo route) and one that led west along the PCT then north to Spectacle Lake. I arrived at the Spectacle Lake and found a nice flat (albeit hard) place to put my tent. Advertisement. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Snoqualmie Ranger District, 55 Hikes around Snoqualmie Pass (Manning & Spring - Mountaineers Books), Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Pass (Nelson & Bauer - Mountaineers Books), Buy the Green Trails Snoqualmie Pass Gateway No. We saw a bear foraging for berries, picas, mountain vistas, streams. Finally, this section of the PCT was redesigned and moved, to make it much more horse-friendly, and a totally new trail was created by 1978 to Spectacle Lake, and then east to Waptus Lake to meet the old trail. 705 2nd Ave, Suite 300 The terrain was diverse, ranging from forested sections to scree fields, with rolling uphill and downhill sections so that I never grew bored of the route. Passed Alaska Lake, over Alaska Mountain and between Edds Lake and Joe Lake. My brain had no chance of focusing because I knew this season of life was finally coming to an end. Descend 250 feet through the talus to the saddle between the lakes (7.6 miles, 5200 ft). From here this section of the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the Kendall Katwalk, a striking span cut into a curtain of rock. Register We were blessed by overcast skies as the trail led us through a section with little tree coverage. More importantly, I was in the third and final section, having only about 1.5 miles to go. Backpacking Has Changed a Lot Over the Past 50 Years. Ascend 100 feet and then begin an ascending traverse at 45 from the fall line to summit. Kendall Katwalk A strenuous 11 mi round trip hike with 2,700 ft in elevation gain along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) north of Snoqualmie Pass. Let me tell you -- the creek was ICE COLD, but we had already committed. Chikamin Ridge. Enter the meadows below Kendall Peak and enjoy broad views as far as Mt. The route was a great visual sampler of alpine lakes and mountains with each view better than the next. The first stretch of the hike between Salmon La Sac and Cooper Lake was a very flat and pleasant stroll through the forest following Cooper River upstream. You will need a permit if you plan on camping overnight and they are difficult to get due to forest service limits on the number of people camping in the Alpine wilderness. In todays dollars, the Katwalk cost about $42,000 per foot; at 600 feet long, thats $25.2 million youre walking on. My hiking book gives it a 5 star rating. The trail is steep, rocky, and exposed with Rainier views behind and Lundin Peak and Red Mountain ahead (5.25 miles, 4900 ft). Jun 11, 2018 - If the name Kendall Katwalk conjures up an image of a narrow pathway blasted out of a steeply sloped rock face, thats part of it. After building the trail up to the ridge, Warren and his crew installed camp in the summer of 1976 at Gravel Lake, just north of what would become the Katwalk. A small stream splashed down rocks and across the trail. The trail was full of people heading home. The meadows are full of fireweed, lupine, and columbine just to name a few. In general, this is not a hike for most people once the snow starts to fall. Some of the lakes were Joe Lake, Alaska Lake, Ridge Lake, Gravel Lake, and at the end, Park Lake. The route between Spectacle Lake and the Glacier Lake junction saw rolling hill, with some sustained uphill sections. Along the Kendall Katwalk, the PCT traverses a thin, near-vertical rock ridge. We started off our journey by meeting up with our party at the Kendall Katwalk trailhead. Up to this point we had complete solitude. However, once we reached the junction to Glacier Lake we knew that the rest of our day would be relatively flat. GoLong Hiked Aug 14, 2007. Though some rate the trail as "difficult", and the sign on the trail fork was labeled "most difficult", for these two sixty something hikers, this trail was what we would call moderate, with beautiful forest and vistas the entire way. Kendall Peak Lakes Trail is a 8.5 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington that features a lake and is rated as moderate. Joshco Flats To Rent In Fleurhof Contact Number. Uncategorized. Wildflowers abounded, in all shades. There are many options to turn back sooner but it only gets better the farther you go. No water is available at the trailhead. Trailhead is 3000 ft. High point is 5400 ft. Something about the obvious intrusion of man onto an almost fairy-tale landscape has attracted hikers and backpackers for decades. (22), A Weekend in the Enchantments: 4 Peaks in a Row, Getting Back Into the Swing of Things: Triple Couloirs Car to Car, Surprise in the Wilderness: An Alpine Lakes Tale. 325. There's a second lake nearby called Gravel Lake that is much less accessible as a water source and, as its name suggests, does not offer any campsites due to steep fields of scree surrounding its perimeter. The trail winds around at first, then heads into a series of lengthy straight sections. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at camp as we waited for the sun to rise over the surrounding mountains and cast its warm rays on our tent. Robinsons Head Office Contact Number, Most of the available campsites were on hard rock, which did not accommodate our, There's a reason it's called Spectacle Lake. 25 Type of Hike Day hike Trails Hiked Spectacle Lake Pete Lake I just returned from a 1 night hike starting at Snoqualmie Pass ending at Cooper Lake. But I kept going. For many hikers, it was their last few nights on the Pacific Crest Trail. Tripadvisor checks reviews for fraud. There were a few folks hanging out here- its a popular place to turn around and head back to the pass. Looking north, the prominence of Red Mountain is stunning. At 5784 feet, the northernmost peak is the highest and the most visited. Pete Lake, Spectacle Lake. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Stay to the right; the left is merely the connector trail from the upper parking lot. PCT Snoqualmie to Pete Lake Images : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering Heading north from near Snoqualmie Pass, it follows the Pacific Crest Trail climbing about 2700 feet over 5 or 6 miles. We passed around my handy dandy, Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Fireweed is often the first plant to bloom following a wildfire in North America, When we got to Spectacle Lake, it was PACKED since it was Labor Day Weekend. Live Stream Wilmington Nc, I then held a piece in my fingers to see what would happen; one of the birds immediately flew onto my hand, grabbed the food, sat for a few seconds, and then flew away. 0. Helping people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. This is the ridge just to the NW of the Katwalk. Further south, we can also see Mt. The Kendall Katwalk is a nice moderate hike within easy reach of Seattle, only about an hour to the trail head. The rock faces of the Katwalk gradually transition into a more mellow soil and vegetation traverse. It is a segment of Section J of Pacific Crest Trail and the construction was completed in 1979. This hike to Kendall's Katwalk can be long as a day hike (12+ miles round trip) but has immense payoffs with the excellent views. So, I packed up my gear (again, WAY too heavy) and headed back up towards Park Lake. 10 minutes later I was on the trail, it was noon and the weather was spectacular. It was built in 1976 by blasting open the cliff with dynamite after marking out a path with paint-filled bottles dropped from a helicopter. Daksh Ff Stylish Name, The weather-worn spires and crags of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness fill the horizon like a sea of crumbling sandcastles. In late August or early September, blueberries are a treat. The next several miles of the trail were full of scree fields with no tree coverage. Check the Washington Trails Organization or the forest service website for the latest trail reports , trail conditions and specific details. 11 frank b swinguard switchblade; kendall katwalk to spectacle lake. Go Hiking Trip Reports Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section J - Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass, Kendall Katwalk, Gravel Lake - Ridge Lake, Spectacle Lake, Deep Lake, Peggy's Pond, Surprise and Glacier Lakes I sat in class drawing cartoons to make the time pass. Rainer looms in the distance. The ground was too hard. This was the last accessible lake for water before reaching our final destination at Ridge Lake. At this point there is another major switchback to the north. The stars were unbelievable. Mountaineers Books is a registered trademark of The Mountaineers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. I had packed for about a 5 day trip, thinking that if everything went well, I may just end up at Stevens Pass. The trail continues to side-hill along ridge after ridge, all the while providing excellent views of the surrounding peaks. A quick scramble back down and we continued on to the Katwalk, which ended up being a bit further than we anticipated. As only one very small part of the Pacific Crest trail, Kendall Katwalk trail is an astounding, beautiful, and breathtaking journey across just about every natural "feature" one could want in a trail excursion. Off highway 90, exit 52. My pack was WAY too heavy. We had originally been planning to camp at Glacier Lake for our first night, but after considering a multitude of factors (the sun was setting earlier in the day this time of year, our group had an aggressive goal of traversing 16 miles in a single day, and our group was tired from the extra mileage between Salmon La Sac and Cooper Lake), we decided to set up camp at Spectacle Lake instead. http://www.alpental.com/history_-_trails.htm, How The Outdoor Industry Is Creating A Huge Boom In Bend. Mar 23, 2015 - If the name Kendall Katwalk conjures up an image of a narrow pathway blasted out of a steeply sloped rock face, thats part of it. But worth the price? And so Kendall Katwalk was born. 99% of travelers recommend this experience. The PCT is not for someone who is afraid of heights. On the right hand side is the main parking lot which handles 50 vehicles. Arriving at the trail at 8:45, the parking lot was full; get there early, and have a Northwest forest pass, or pay a fee. The Kendall Katwalk has some pretty sweet views, but it does skirt around a main objective for hikers in this area: the summit of Kendall Peak. Youll quickly gain the narrow ridgeline and cautiously follow it to the top. We saw a couple horses on the trail on Day 1, and we suspect that these horses carried inflatable kayaks all the way here. The second section passes through forest still exhibiting damage from the summer storm of 2011, when the trail had to be closed briefly in order to clear gigantic blowdowns.Approaching the 2-mile mark, the trail breaks out into open talus, enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, then begins slowly dropping 100 feet. 95% of travelers recommend this experience. To get there, take the Snoqualmie West exit off I90 and head North where there is a large parking lot and a dry toilet. From Kendall Katwalk, we also got a great view of the Summit at Snoqualmie, a popular local ski resort. You are now following near the Pacific Crest. It's 11 miles round trip and 2,700 feet of elevation gain with a high point of 5,400 ft. From Kendall Katwalk, continue 1.5 miles to the secluded Ridge and Gravel Lakes. At the Cooper Lake trailhead, we met up with the 5th member of our party. From a camp at Ridge or Gravel Lake, you can day hike about 2 miles round trip to Alaska Mountain or over eight miles round trip to the scenic Needle Site Gap. It's pretty cool. To the north-northeast and about 175 feet below the trail is the larger Gravel Lake. The katwalk had beautiful views and was wider than some of the rest of the trail. We saw the first people on the whole trip at Spectacle Lake. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. The most difficult part was blasting a trail through the "Kendall Katwalk", a steep rock cliff on the ridge between Kendall and Red Mtn.