Heather Lake (Snohomish County, Washington)

Heather Lake
Heather Lake in August 2026
Location of Heather Lake Lake in Washington, US
Location of Heather Lake Lake in Washington, US
Heather Lake
Location within Washington (state)
Location of Heather Lake Lake in Washington, US
Location of Heather Lake Lake in Washington, US
Heather Lake
Location within the United States
LocationMount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest, Snohomish County, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates48°04′05″N 121°46′55″W / 48.0680934°N 121.7820267°W / 48.0680934; -121.7820267[1]
TypeGlacial lake
Heather Creek
Managing agency
United States Forest Service
Surface area
13.90 acres (5.63 ha)
Surface elevation
2,399 feet (731 m)

Heather Lake is a subalpine lake at the foot of Mount Pilchuck in Snohomish County, Washington, United States.[2][3] The lake is 2,399 feet (731 m) above sea level and is accessed via the Heather Lake Trail.[2] It receives an estimated 22,000 visitors each summer, making it the third most popular site in the Mountain Loop Highway region, behind the Big Four Ice Caves and Lake Twentytwo.[4]

Access

Heather Lake Trail is the only way to reach Heather Lake on foot. From the trailhead on Pilchuck Access Road it is 2 miles to the lake, rising about 1,000 feet, and is a popular hiking trail year-round.[3][5]

The trail begins on part of a logging road created in the 1940s, and thus the first section of forest is second-growth trees until the 1.2 mile mark, where the trees turn into old-growth forest.[6][7] It roughly follows Heather Creek up the mountain until it reaches Heather Lake.[7] A further 0.8-mile path surrounds the lake, with part of the surface being boardwalk.[5]

Visitor access to the trail and lake requires a Northwest Forest Pass (which can be purchased at the Verlot Public Service Center one mile before the access road) or an America the Beautiful Pass.[5]

Characteristics

Heather Lake, created by glacial activity, lies in a cirque on the north-eastern slope of Mount Pilchuck (part of the Cascade Range).[3] The lake is fed by streams of water falling down the mountain cliff into talus, which gradually drain into the lake, then again into Heather Creek.[8] The lake freezes during the winter, but the ice does not get thick enough to support an adult due to the lake's relatively low altitude.[7] The lake itself contains rainbow trout that grow up to ten inches long on average.[3]

Most of the trees along the lakeshore are mountain hemlock, with some copses of Alaska yellow cedar.[8] Wildflowers grow on the eastern shore of the lake, including marsh marigolds, trillium, and asters.[5] Heather Lake Trail passes through forests of Douglas fir, western red cedar, and Alaska yellow cedar.[6][8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Heather Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Heather Lake (Snohomish County)". Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Heather Lake Trail 701". United States Forest Service. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ Washington Trails Association (November 13, 2023). Mountain Loop Highway Trail System Vision: South Loop (PDF) (Report). p. 76. Retrieved August 17, 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Heather Lake". Washington Trails Association. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Burton, Joan (2006). Western Washington and the Cascades. Mountaineers Books. pp. 105–107. ISBN 9780898865660.
  7. 1 2 3 Nelson, Dan (2003). Snowshoe Routes: Washington. Mountaineers Books. pp. 80–82. ISBN 9780898868845.
  8. 1 2 3 Stekel, Peter (2015). Best Hikes Near Seattle. Falcon Guides. pp. 106–110. ISBN 9781493014354.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.