Our Backpacking Adventures
Beaver Lake - Snoqualmie Pass, WA
Distance: 1 mile each way
Trail: Very scenic easy to follow trail that traverses the ski slopes of Snoqualmie pass. You travel under the ski lifts which provides amazing views of the surrounding cascade mountains.
Elevation: 3,450ft (1,200ft elevation gain during hike)
Trailhead: This is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Take I-90 exit #52. The trailhead is at the North end of the parking lot. A northwest forest pass is required to park at the trailhead. I got my pass at REI for less than $30 and it's good for one year.
Camping: There aren't any designated camping spots at Beaver Lake. We just walked around the lake until we found the flattest spot. I heard there are better spots at Lodge Lake, we're gonna try that out on our next trip.
Conditions: We went the second week of June. There was still some hard packed snow on the ground. The snow was a fun surprise and made for a good time sledding with a small tarp! There are a lot of bugs but it wasn't really a problem a little bug spray couldn't handle. The frogs were very surprising. There must have been hundreds of 'em. We were able to catch one and watch it jump around before bed. The amount of noise they made at night was phenominal! I posted a short video clip of the sounds on this page. Scroll down and have a listen!
Fishing: We tried fishing...didn't see any signs of fish in the lake. The amount of bugs that were on the surface of the lake should have had some kind of fish activitiy, but we didn't see a thing both days. Still a fun activity to include in our trips.
Trail: Very scenic easy to follow trail that traverses the ski slopes of Snoqualmie pass. You travel under the ski lifts which provides amazing views of the surrounding cascade mountains.
Elevation: 3,450ft (1,200ft elevation gain during hike)
Trailhead: This is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Take I-90 exit #52. The trailhead is at the North end of the parking lot. A northwest forest pass is required to park at the trailhead. I got my pass at REI for less than $30 and it's good for one year.
Camping: There aren't any designated camping spots at Beaver Lake. We just walked around the lake until we found the flattest spot. I heard there are better spots at Lodge Lake, we're gonna try that out on our next trip.
Conditions: We went the second week of June. There was still some hard packed snow on the ground. The snow was a fun surprise and made for a good time sledding with a small tarp! There are a lot of bugs but it wasn't really a problem a little bug spray couldn't handle. The frogs were very surprising. There must have been hundreds of 'em. We were able to catch one and watch it jump around before bed. The amount of noise they made at night was phenominal! I posted a short video clip of the sounds on this page. Scroll down and have a listen!
Fishing: We tried fishing...didn't see any signs of fish in the lake. The amount of bugs that were on the surface of the lake should have had some kind of fish activitiy, but we didn't see a thing both days. Still a fun activity to include in our trips.
The Trailhead is really easy to find....
After taking Exit 52 on Interstate 90, you'll enter the North parking lot and find your way along a gravel road. The road will eventually lead you to the trail head which is well marked.
The trail is very visible from the parking area. Don't forget to post your Northwest Forest Pass in your window before you take off on your adventure. We started up the trail at about 5:30pm and within about 30' encountered a lot of hard packed snow still remaining. This was quite a surprise for mid June! It was easy enough to walk on but made it hard to follow the trail. We had to push through the trees to get to the open area where the snow disappeared and the trail came back into view.
Anytime we found ourselves in the forest we encountered more snow. The hardest part about the snow was that Gabe kept slipping and falling down. It took holding my hand for him to make it through those parts of the hike. I think his favorite part of the trip was falling in the snow and I found that he wasn't trying very hard to stay upright....he was having way too much fun falling to focus on that!
The trail is very visible from the parking area. Don't forget to post your Northwest Forest Pass in your window before you take off on your adventure. We started up the trail at about 5:30pm and within about 30' encountered a lot of hard packed snow still remaining. This was quite a surprise for mid June! It was easy enough to walk on but made it hard to follow the trail. We had to push through the trees to get to the open area where the snow disappeared and the trail came back into view.
Anytime we found ourselves in the forest we encountered more snow. The hardest part about the snow was that Gabe kept slipping and falling down. It took holding my hand for him to make it through those parts of the hike. I think his favorite part of the trip was falling in the snow and I found that he wasn't trying very hard to stay upright....he was having way too much fun falling to focus on that!
The abandoned ski slopes were alive with blooming wildflowers, trickling streams, and insects crawling all over the place. One of the big things on our "to-do" list was to observe nature and find as many things as we could. This included looking for bugs, flowers, plants, trees, and animals. With activities like this, hiking is slow going and rest breaks are buit into the journey. Learning opportunities are literally surrounding us and I've never had so much fun being able to stop and enjoy every aspect of the trail along the way!
Through the slopes and on to the lake....
The tiny little lake was surrounded by snow covered banks. It was very apparent that we were going to have to search for a place to setup our camp. After circling the lake we found the best place on the West side about 30' from the waters edge.
After setting up the tent and getting our stuff unpacked Gabe was eager to get to fishing. We did'nt have much luck with catching a fish, but like our little adventure together the process happens to be the best part, not just the result/destination.
Before playing in the snow we got ourselves situated and cooked up some dinner, consisting of mac 'n cheese and hot dogs. We finished off ever meal with a dessert of marshmallows and smores! That was Gabe's idea and I was all to happy to oblige that request : )
Firewood was easy to collect at the base of the trees around us, and even though the ground was sopping wet from the melting snow and recent rainfall, dry wood/branches could easily be collected. You can have a campfire below 4,000' elevation and we ended up using the fire to dry our clothes and make smores. We cooked our meals using our camping stove.
After setting up the tent and getting our stuff unpacked Gabe was eager to get to fishing. We did'nt have much luck with catching a fish, but like our little adventure together the process happens to be the best part, not just the result/destination.
Before playing in the snow we got ourselves situated and cooked up some dinner, consisting of mac 'n cheese and hot dogs. We finished off ever meal with a dessert of marshmallows and smores! That was Gabe's idea and I was all to happy to oblige that request : )
Firewood was easy to collect at the base of the trees around us, and even though the ground was sopping wet from the melting snow and recent rainfall, dry wood/branches could easily be collected. You can have a campfire below 4,000' elevation and we ended up using the fire to dry our clothes and make smores. We cooked our meals using our camping stove.
A preview of the sounds we got to enjoy that evening!
Click on the video below and you can get an idea of the sounds we listened to all night. The frogs started just as soon as it got dark and continued strong until the sun came up. The constant drone of the frogs became soothing after a bit and we found it surprisingly easy to fall asleep to. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sounds of an owl. One of the regular activities we do is take a pause, be really quiet, and listen for all the noises that are around us at that time. It's fun to have Gabtriel describe what he hears each time. Just another great way to get in touch with your surroundings and make a fun activity out of a short rest break!
Unexpected snow days....
Using our emergency shelter tarp folded up a couple of times, we were able to spend a couple hours of our morning sledding on the remaining snow! This wasn't something I had planned on, but it ended up being one of the best parts of the trip! You can hear a plane flying overhead, that was actually a fairly regular occurence.