The North Cascades of Washington offer some of the most dramatic mountainscapes in the United States and, arguably, the world. If you’re looking for a shorter day hike in the area, one of the best options is the Blue Lake Trail, which, true to its name, offers a vibrant blue lake and a brilliant display of golden larches, come fall. If you want to do this spectacular hike for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about the Blue Lake Trail in the North Cascades.
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About the Blue Lake Trail
- Length: 4.6 miles
- Elevation gain: 915 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Required pass or permit? Yes, you’ll need to pay a $5 daily use fee at the trailhead or, alternatively, show a valid Northwest Forest or America the Beautiful Pass.
- Dog-friendly: Your furry best friend is welcome, but must stay on a leash.
- Trail map
How to get to the Blue Lake Trail
The Blue Lake trailhead is located here, in the North Cascades of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in northern Washington state.
The North Cascades are tucked pretty far north, along the Canadian border, so getting to the trailhead can be a bit of a hike. For example, the trailhead is three and a half hours northeast of Seattle or about four hours southeast of Vancouver, British Columbia.
To get to the trailhead, you’ll need to drive along the North Cascades Highway, one of the most scenic roadways on the planet.
However, it’s important to note that a portion of this route, starting from the Ross Dam to around Milepost 134, is closed every year, typically from late November through April or May, due to heavy snow and high avalanche risk. The Blue Lake Trail would likely be buried in a LOT of snow during this timeframe, anyway, but plan accordingly!
When the trail is open, its parking lot holds about 40 cars, which can be a problem during busy periods, like weekends in the summer or pretty much anytime in fall. I’ve hiked this trail twice on weekdays in fall and have always had to vulture around for a bit for a spot. So if you’re visiting during one of these periods, I’d highly recommend getting here on the early side (as in, before 8 AM)!
If you can’t find space in the parking lot, you can also park along Highway 20. However, depending on where you have to park, this can add a bit of distance to your hike—I once had to park a mile away to do the nearby Heather Maple Pass Loop! Also, be aware that there’ve been several instances of break-ins here, so I’d recommend leaving any valuables at home.
What to expect along the Blue Lake Trail
From the trailhead, the path starts off quite flat, winding along some wooden boardwalks through a dense old-growth forest.
Around a quarter mile in, you’ll start climbing up a gradual incline. One of my favorite things about this trail is that, unlike a lot of the hikes in the North Cascades, like Cutthroat Pass or the Heather Maple Pass Loop, it isn’t overly physically demanding and should be approachable for most hikers.
Around 1.3 miles in, you’ll reach an open meadow, where you’ll get your first glimpses of the granite peaks of the North Cascades surrounding you. In the summertime, there’s usually plentiful wildflowers here and in the fall, you’ll see groves of golden larches, a unique type of conifer whose needles actually turn vibrant yellow in autumn.
After you pass the meadow, the path heads back into the forest. As you climb higher and higher, the views of Whistler Mountain and Cutthroat Peak to your right hand side and Hinkhouse Peak, behind you, keep getting better and better.
Around 1.8 miles in, the trail forks off to the left and follows a steep and rocky trail uphill—this is a climbing route up to Liberty Bell and the Early Winter Spires. Take a moment to glance up the trail—this is one of the best spots to see mountain goats along the Blue Lake Trail—and then continue straight on the pathway.
Finally, you’ll hear the trickling of the water of the Blue Lake’s outlet, as you approach its shores. The trail skirts along the left and right side of the lake, the latter of which has an enormous rocky outcropping. This offers an incredible view of the stunningly blue lake and, in the fall, is one of the best places to admire the groves of larches surrounding its shores.
If you’ve got a bit more time and energy, there’s a spur trail, called the Tarn Loop, at the northwestern corner of Blue Lake, located here. This detour will add about 0.3 miles to your hike, but offers even more expansive views of the Liberty Bell Mountain and is an excellent spot to see mountain goats!
When you’re done enjoying the alpine views and new mountain goat friends, you’ll simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
Pssst… you’ll notice that many of the areas around Blue Lake are roped off to protect delicate plant life—please be respectful and don’t cross over into these areas!
When to visit the Blue Lake Trail
Due to the Blue Lake Trail’s relatively high elevation in the North Cascades (starting at 5,380 feet), this area gets heavy snowfall in the wintertime and is only snow and ice-free typically from early to mid-July through mid-October.
July and early August are the best times to see colorful wildflowers along the trail. Plus, I know that a few brave souls even like taking a dip in its chilly waters on particularly hot days—be sure to bring along a swimsuit and a towel!
Alternatively, if it’s larches you’re after, they typically turn their brilliant golden hue from the last few weeks of September until early October. If you can visit during this timeframe, I’d highly recommend it. I’ve hiked all of the popular fall trails in the area and, in my opinion, the Blue Lake Trail is definitely one of the best larch hikes in the North Cascades!
As mentioned above, the trail becomes inaccessible, due to road closures, typically from November through May.
Although you can theoretically access the trail while there’s snow on the ground (i.e., mid-October through November and May through July), I’d strongly recommend waiting until most of the snow has melted off the trail, unless you’re experienced with route-finding, have snowshoes, and are trained in avalanche safety.
Tips for hiking the Blue Lake Trail
Check closures before you head to the trailhead
In addition to snowfall, portions of the North Cascades Highway are frequently closed, due to nearby wildfires. Accordingly, I’d recommend checking the “Alerts & Warnings” section of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest website to confirm it’s accessible prior to driving here.
If the road is open but there happens to be wildfires in the general area—don’t despair! This has been the case both times that I’ve hiked the Blue Lake Trail and the views have still been quite clear, I suspect, due to the trail’s higher elevation.
It can be buggy
July and August can bring quite a bit of mosquitoes and horseflies to this area. Pack some bug spray!
There’s no cell service
There’s generally no cell service along the trail, so I’d suggest downloading offline maps on Google Maps and a trail map on AllTrails so you can track your progress with GPS.
Pssst.... you do need AllTrails+, a premium membership of AllTrails, to download offline maps, but luckily, we got the hookup for our readers, with 30% off your annual subscription. All you need to do is use this link!
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