Ice Lake

Ice Lake is stunning! The lake is incredibly deep. The color of the water is a royal blue. The lake is surrounded by peaks on 3 sides including Sacajawea and Matterhorn which are both climbable via a climbers trail at the far side of the lake from the steep trail from West Wallowa River. I have been here 3 times. I climbed to the summit of Matterhorn once and tried the other 2 times but fell short because of time restraints. There are nice places to camp in the area and loads of areas to explore in the basin. A crazy pass lies between Ice and Razz Lake which I took once but it would have been much easier without a 50 lb backpack, teenagers, and a dog. This pass was quite dangerous with danger of rockfall. We came from Razz crossing to Ice Lake's upper valley. I would not suggest that route for the faint of heart. The main trail from West Wallowa River is steep with lots of switchbacks but doable. Watch out for the wolves as three followed me at twilight and forced us to emergency camp my second time on the steep slopes while ascending to Ice Lake on the switchbacks. Wildflowers are quite pretty in the basin and slopes above the lake.

I made this hike in July and it was absolutely gorgeous. It is a tough climb with a backpack but worth every minute. It is very humbling to be surrounded by nature and would be wise to respect the forest and animals that live here. I fell asleep with a perfect view of the Matterhorn and will be making a return trip soon. My next trip here will be an out and back to the top of the Matterhorn and I will do it without a pack. This will be one of my favorite hikes of all time. I had no idea there was so much beauty so close to home.