Trail Guide

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Heather Lake
(The Glacier Peak Area)


Gabi Fulcher
The first part of the trail is a 1940's logging road. It is very wide and well surfaced. After about a mile in second-growth forests, you enter old-growth cedars. In the next mile, you have a few switchbacks, something around six or seven, then you decend ever so slightly into a meadowy basin underneath Mount Pilchuck.

The lake is pretty cold, but it is still fun to swim in it. Not very good fishing, but some really fun bouldering problems, for the climbers out there.

There are a few campsites, but they are somewhat hard to find. The best ones are on the right hand fork as you come to the lake. Follow that fork, and look on the right for campsites. Others can be found on the left, just tucked back in.
[edit]


Gabi Fulcher
Driving Directions:
Follow Highway 2 east of Everett, following signs for Lake Stevens. Turn left on Highway 9, then right on Highway 92, heading towards Granite Falls. Go through the town, and turn left onto Mountain Loop Highway. Follow it 1 mile east of the Verlot ranger station, then make a right turn on the road named "Mt. Pilchuck." Follow the road for 2 miles to a small parking lot on the right side of the road. The trail is on the opposite side of the road.
[edit]
Statistics
Distance: 4 mi r/t
Time: 1-2 hours r/t
Elevation Gain in: 1000 ft
Elevation Gain out: 0 ft
Trailhead Elevation: 1400 ft
Maximum Elevation: 2400 ft
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Trails (Click for reports)
HEATHER LK #701

Suggested Seasons
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
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Users
Great for kids
Hikers
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Author's Ratings
Usage: Heavy
Difficulty: Easier
Rating: Average
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Attractions
Campsites
Lakes
Old Growth
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Maps & Books
Best Hikes with Children in Western Washington & the Cascades
100 Hikes in the North Cascades: Glacier Peak Area
Green Trail #109: Granite Falls
USGS Verlot
Snow shoeing Washington
 [edit]
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Written by
Landon Woolsey
Aug 17, 2006

Trailhead Location is Latitude 48:04.967 N by Longitude 121:46.511 W [edit]

Note: positions are PDA (pretty-damn-approximate)
CRGNSA - Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, CNF - Colville National Forest, GPNF - Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, MBSNF - Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, MRNP - Mount Rainier National Park, MSHNVM - Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument, NCNP - North Cascades National Park, ONF - Olympic National Forest, ONP - Olympic National Park, WNF - Wenatchee National Forest, UNF - Umatilla National Forest