By:
Submission
One of several Blue Lakes in Washington State, this Blue Lake lies about four and a half miles south of Mount Baker and requires less than a mile of hiking to reach it. Its translucent blue-green colors peek out beneath the shadows of a sheer rock wall partially encircling the lake, a reward for conquering the somewhat eroded and rooty trail that leads to it. Families, anglers, and hikers looking to experience a pretty subalpine lake will enjoy this short, yet memorable hike.
There are several short social trails within this area, most leading to campsites, water sources, and brushy dead ends.
Take I-5 to exit 230 for Highway 20 East. Continue for 22.5 miles, following the signs for Highway 20 East. About 0.15 miles past a brown sign for Baker Lake Sno-Park, turn left onto signed Baker Lake Road (Forest Road 11).
Continue for 12 miles on Baker Lake Road. Just past Rocky Creek Bridge, turn left onto unsigned Forest Road 12. Continue on Forest Road 12 for 3.5 miles. Reach a junction and continue straight, following the sign for Blue Lake. After another 3.2 miles, turn left at the sign for Blue Lake onto Forest Road 1230. Continue on Forest Road 1230 for 3.6 miles, staying on the main road to the trailhead and parking lot. There is room for roughly 15 cars and there is a vault toilet at the trailhead.
Beautiful short hike. The lake color is amazing blue. Lot of larches are turning color makes it perfect view every Conner. Crowded on the weekend. Require NW pass.
Nice lake moderate trail. About 2 miles uphill.
Worth it if you like to hike and don’t mind dogs!
Would try and get there early if you don’t want to deal with swarms of people.
Wow. What an experience.
Came up here to take in Larch Madness.
Was up here the 8th of October. Got an early arrival so napped in the car until day light. Which I'm happy I did. Was able to park at the trailhead. Where there is a toilet.
Be sure to bring your forest service pass. Or pay $5 a day that can be purchased at the trailhead.
Headed up to the lake at sunrise. By then, the parking lot was full and people had started parking out on the highway. Made our way up. Not too many people.
Got to the lake and it was amazing. The views were breathtaking. The trees, water, the mountains. Was spectacular.
Now. The way down was completely different. It was literally a conga line up the mountain. Hardly any breaks. The trail is narrow and the correct trail etiquette would be giving up hill folks the right away. But we'd never get down if we didn't go first.
Finally made it back down. Legit took longer to come down than the hike up and lunch at the lake. Wanted to use the bathroom before leaving. Waited in line. Took forever. Upon getting my turn. The TP was all gone. There was maybe 11-13 rolls when I arrived that morning. Thank God I have some in my pack.
Got to the car. Way more cars parked in the lot than the lot could hold. Meaning people parking in dirt and non designated parking spots.
Pulled out on the highway... hundreds and hundreds of cars. Almost a solid line of cars from Blue Lake to Maple Pass and Cutthroat and beyond. If you arrive late be prepared to add a few extra miles to your hike on Hwy 20 before getting to the actual trailhead.
Gorgeous hike! One of my favorite in the area. Beautiful views on the way up and down. Break in walking through the woods from time to time, you come out in a pretty little field with wild flowers. Streams and lots of wild life.
And of course, Blue Lake is just absolutely stunning. All the photos posted do not do it any justice. It's also absolutely freezing, lol. You gotta jump in though, it's almost a right of passage. Don't jump in the deep end though! Even in mid summer you can get hypothermia.
Advice: This hike also connects to a climbers hike, so the parking lot gets filled with climbers that sleep in their cars overnight, so the parking is dicey. Go early in the morning. It will still be tough to find parking, but better than mid day.
This is one of the most beautiful places in the North Cascades. I have loved showing off this gem to folks coming from near and far to elope. We have enjoyed sunset sessions and getting back to the car under headlamp in order to help folks have the most private and wonderful place to get married.
Do note, it is very popular during weekends and during Larch Madness. If you want to do the hike (or get married) during those times, you should consider off-peak times such as sunrise or sunset to have privacy for your celebration (and to not impede others enjoyment too).
