Day Hike to Melakwa Lake

North Bend, Washington

Description

Distance: 8.5 miles roundtripElevation gain: 2500 ftAlpine Lakes WildernessRewarding HikeNot Many PeoplePerfect Lunch Location

This hike is one of my favorites. It begins at the Denny Creek Trailhead and follows the creek to the Denny Creek water slide. The water slide is one of the two spots where you will lose many of your fellow hikers because this is a popular place for families to bring their families. At this area, you must cross Denny Creek, which is impassible during high waters, so plan to do this hike in the Summer, early Fall.

After crossing Denny Creek, you will start a steep climb with a lot of switchbacks for about half a mile. Then you reach Keekwulee Falls. This is the second location where you will lose many of the hikers. Passing Keekwulee Falls, the trail gets very rocky, and some of the rocks are unstable - be careful. Nearing the end of this hike, when you almost reach Melakwa Lake, the trail actually drops about 150 feet before reaching the lake. This is a perfect spot for lunch, but remember, pack in-pack out.

There is a toilet above Melakwa Lake, but bring toilet paper. Also, just a hint: Melakwa in Chinook stands for mosquito. I did not have any problems with bugs on this day hike, but I have heard of it getting buggy.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Fitness

Rock Climbing

Chillin

Camping

Fishing

Photography

Running

Rafting

Swimming

Backpacking

Hiking

Dog Friendly

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Forest

Lake

River

Romantic

Scenic

Waterfall

Wildflowers

Wildlife

Cliff Jumping

Day Hike to Melakwa Lake Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Melakwa Lakes via Denny Creek Trail

This hike has it all: old-growth forests, rivers, waterfalls, alpine lakes, views, peaks, and so on. The hike starts from near Denny Creek Campground in between the separate I-90 viaducts. Almost immediately, you will cross over a walk bridge over Denny Creek's waterfalls, and then eventually under the westbound I-90 viaduct, which, from the old-growth forest underneath, is a cool, almost-post-...

Kaleetan Peak

Initial note: because this is an alpine scramble, do your research before tackling this adventure, including learning the correct route and the current conditions (such as any early- or late-season snow). From the Denny Creek Trailhead, take the Denny Creek trail just over 4 miles to Melakwa Lakes. (See separate adventure for Melakwa Lakes, which describes several beautiful features along the ...

Kaleetan Lake via Denny Creek Trail

If you want to visit multiple lakes, get a view of or tackle a peak at Kaleetan, Chair, and Bryant, campgrounds for overnight or weekend adventures, fish in the lakes, explore off the trail and natural waterslides and picnic area waterfalls, this is for you. Denny Creek Trail offers it all! After the first mile on the trail, you will run into the Natural Waterslide and rocks that you can have ...

Franklin Falls via Wagon Road Trail

This is an easy 2 mile roundtrip hike that leads to beautiful Franklin Falls. The trail is very well maintained and is easy for even young hikers to travel. The trail goes through the forest and along a gorge as you gain 400 feet in elevation to the falls. There are a few places you can scramble down into the gorge which has a few really small waterfalls in it. But non of these falls compare t...

Snowshoe to Franklin Falls

Depending on the road conditions and where you parked, the hike will be somewhere between 5-6 miles roundtrip. I always advise checking the weather and Washington Trail Association trip reports for the latest information. If conditions are ideal, grab your snowshoes and head to the mountains! You can also rent them from REI. The route is very pleasantly graded with minimal elevation gain as yo...

Lodge Lake via PCT

As you begin your hike up to Lodge Lake you will pass through a small forest. After about .5 miles you will come out into the open. Simply follow the path under the chairlifts as you cut across the mountain. In the summer when there is no snow on the ground you can see lots of wildflowers. If you look closely, you might even be able to spot a few wild strawberry plants! At about .75 miles you ...