Backpacking the Alpine Lakes in Washington

Come join us for two separate backpacking trips in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington State.  The first section consists of a 33 mile loop through the southern portion of the Wilderness featuring a stunning third afternoon and night at Spectacle Lake.  Our second section will be a two night event to the famed Chain Lakes.  This is prime blueberry and huckleberry season in the Cascade mountains, so bring your appetite.

A word of caution.  This adventure will take place during the fire season in Washington so we may have to be flexible about our itinerary.  The trip leader is aware of several alternative backpacking hikes that are nearby.  Depending on smoke, fire, and accessibility, the trip leader will seek input from the group about desirable options, but the trip leader will make the final decision about changing the itinerary.

The Alpine Lakes Wilderness was established by an Act of Congress in 1976.  The southern edge of the Wilderness is located about 60 miles east of Seattle.  The Wilderness extends south-to-north between the two busiest highways that cross the Cascades, I-90 and U.S. Highway 2.  Reportedly, the Wilderness contains over 700 lakes and ponds.  We'll only visit of few of those.

Below is the expected itinerary:

8/15: You are responsible for booking your flight to arrive in Seattle on Saturday, August 15, 2026. You will also be responsible for bookiing your hotel in Seattle and renting a car for transportation to and from the trailhead.  I will set up a group chat on Whatsapp to assist you with sharing a hotel and rental car with other members.  We will leave early on the next day for our first trailhead.

Day 1 (8/16):  Our backpacking trip will begin at the Pete Lake trailhead.  We'll aim to arrive at the trailhead by 10:00 a.m.

We'll hike about 4.5 miles along mostly flat terrain to Pete Lake.  Here, we'll break for lunch.  We will then hike about 6 miles that includes a relatively steep ascent to Waptus Lake where we will camp on our first night.  Waptus is the largest of the Alpine Lakes.  It has a gravelly shore which makes it perfect for filtering clean water and swimming.  We'll hike a total of about 10.6 miles and we will have a total ascent of around 1750 feet, although our net gain in elevation will be negligable.

Day 2 (8/17):  After a short distance from Waptus Lake, we will begain hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail.  We will hike about 10 miles to an unnamed lake/pond that is just above 5,000 feet.  Despite the lack of identity on any map, our destination exhibits great views of the Snoqualmie peaks.  We will experience nearly 3,000 feet in elevation gain, mostly during a 6 mile ascent up a series of switchbacks, before we mostly level off about 2 miles prior to reaching our campsite.

Day 3 (8/18):  We will continue to hike for about 10 miles on the PCT.  During the first 5 miles, we will lose about 2,000 feet.  The trail will mostly flatten out for about 2 miles, before gradually ascending about a 1,000 feet over the following 2 miles.  Pay attention because it's easy to miss, there will be a sign for the junction with Spectacle Lake.  Hoopefully, we will arrive early enough to acquire one of the more desirable campsites along the Lake.  Blueberries are bountiful here.  Lots of places to jump off to and go swimming.  This lake is truly one of the gems in the Cascades.  We will be camping at around 4400 feet.

Day 4 (8/19):  We will backtrack for about 3.5 miles along the PCT to the junction back to Pete Lake.  After another 3 miles, we will reach the east side of Pete Lake where we can again break for lunch.  There is a stream acrossing as we make our way around Pete Lake.  Sometimes there are logs laid across the stream, but I recommend that you bring separate water shoes or crocs to ford the stream without getting your shoes wet.  We will lose about 1800 feet, mostly between Spectacle and Pete Lake.

After we reach the trailhead, my tentative itinerary is to drive about 2 hours to the City of Wenatchee where we can get a hotel and a nice dinner.  

Day 5 (8/20):  We'll drive about an hour to our trailhead at Stevens Pass, one of the more popular ski resorts in Washington during the winter.  We'll try to get to the trailhead before 10:00.  The trail starts off steeply as we ascend about 1200 feet over the first 2.5 miles.  Then we will gradually descend about 700 feet over the following 2 miles where we will break for lunch at Lake Josephine.  Depending on how everyone feels, we may camp here for the night.  If we continue on (my preference), we will continue descending about 600 feet over the next 3 miles along the Icicle Creek Trail.  Here, we will reach the junction with the Chain Lakes trail and climb an incredibly steep 1.5 miles while gaining about 1900 feet.  Don't sign up for this event unless you are willing to get yourself into sufficient shape to make this climb.  At the gorgeous Chain Lakes, we will have our choice of campsites on the north and south sides of the lake.  We'll be camping at around 5800 feet.  Total distance from Stevens Pass to Chain Lakes is about 10 miles and you will ascend nearly 3300 feet, mostly at the end.

Day 6 (8/21):  If we make it to Chain Lakes on Thursday, we can explore the neighboring Doelle Lakes.  There is a steep rockly climb of about 1.5 miles before you descend to the Doelle Lakes.  You are also free to just enjoy the views and solitude for as long as it lasts at Chain Lakes.  We will be there on a Friday and it should accumulate Washingtonians as they enjoy this incredibly beautiful area during a summer weekend.

Day 7 (8/22):  We'll hike back out to Stevens Pass over the next 10 miles.  We will ascend nearly 1,800 feet.  From Stevens Pass, we will drive back to Seattle.  You have your choice of booking a room in Seattle or schedule an early evening or later flight.  For those of you who are spending the night in Seattle, we'll try to get the group together for dinner and see some of the sites in Seattle. 

8/23 - Return flight to Atlanta.

This is a D5 event.  If you sign up for this event, the trip leaders may contact you to guage your level of fitness and to determine whether you are able to complete this event at a moderate pace.  The trip leaders have discretion to remove anyone who they believe would not be able to complete the event at a reasonable pace.

The AOC fee of $25 is due on March 31, 2026.  It is non-refundable.

$25 per person AOC service fee

Does not include airfare, hotel, or transportation to and from the trailheads.  Does not include the cost of a hotel or meals in Wenatchee.