Hike to Heather Lake
Granite Falls, Washington
Details
Distance
4.6 miles
Elevation Gain
1034 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Tara Warolin
Heather Lake Trail is a great first hike for kids with flowers in the Spring and berries in the fall.
The trail takes you on a gradual climb up to Heather Lake with beautiful second growth to admire along the way. The trail can be very wet and muddy with many tree roots to catch your toes, so make sure to wear a sturdy pair of tennis shoes or hiking shoes.
When you reach the lake, the trail splits; take either direction, since both loop around the lake. About half of the loop is a nice flat boardwalk to admire everything.
Make sure to notice the huge rotting stumps with the springboard notches alongside the trail; springboards were boards placed in tree trunks for the loggers to stand on as they used a large crosscut saw to take down the tree.
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 appFeatures
Reviews
only been up during the winter months. The trail seemed to be a creek at times. overall beautiful scenery
4.0
Perfect for this time of year. Nice that most the trailers are covered by trees so not in direct sunlight.
4.0
Awesome spring hike, do it every year around May 20th. great, easy first of the season hike, great way to start the hiking season
5.0
Currently, very muddy and snow at the tail end of it. We were hiking with hiking shoes and we were fine :)
4.0
I decided to hike this solo on a weekday because I know it gets pretty good foot traffic all week, and I wanted to make sure there were others on the path. I heard it's horribly congested on the weekends, so get there early. I'm new to hiking, and trying to get into shape, so I picked this hike because I had just completed Wallace Falls, and this one is similar in length and elevation. I didn't keep in mind the difference in terrain however. Heather lake is a lot less "manicured," and I found myself walking through lots of mud, tripping over roots, and navigating large slabs of rock. It took a lot more energy than I was used to, but it was worth it. I passed one couple coming down as I headed up, and I had the lake to myself for about 30 minutes before other hikers joined. I found a huge boulder at the opposite end of the lake (from when you first approach the lake). I climbed up it, and enjoyed my lunch surrounded by beautiful views. On the way down I passed about 40 people, and 12 muddy dogs (all off leash except for 1). I would definitely do this hike again (not on a weekend, and arriving by 9 once again). Also, road going up is a bit rough, so if you have a suv, bring it.
4.0
I grew up hiking all over the mountain loop but for some reason I always passed on heather lake until this last weekend. I needed a shorter hike for my family and this was a great one. There were some good spots to let my two year old out of the back pack to roam and throw some rocks in the water and the towering cliffs above the lake are pretty awesome. The trail is very wet this time of year so prepare to step carefully or wear some good boots. with the kids it took my wife and I about 3 1/2 hours round trip (kids were in backpacks). There are several trees across the trail that would not be a problem normally but with a kid on my back it got a little tricky.
4.0
I went on this hike with a girlfriend of mine and my chow chow, we all had a fantastic experience! Great hike with amazing 360 degree views at Heather Lake. We left around 12 or 1, there is direct light up there until around 5 these days I would guess. My dog had a blast jumping and playing in the snow. The lake was in the process of thawing out when we were up there about a week ago. Bring a picnic to enjoy by the lake :-)
5.0
A very solid hike and relatively close to Seattle. Not as crowded as many of the other closer to the city and one of the shorter routes along the Mountain Loop Highway. Spectacular payoff for little pain.
4.0
Bring water proof boots. Lots of flowing water on trail during late March
5.0
Leave No Trace
Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
Nearby
Snowshoe to Mount Pilchuck Lookout
Hike to Mount Pilchuck Lookout
Winter Hike to Heather Lake
Lake 22
Backpack the Cutthroat Lakes
Hike to Three Fingers Lookout
Community
Mobile Apps
© 2022 The Outbound Collective - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy