MASON LAKE
A really lovely trail to a nice lake. I love this hike for a weekday evening – it’s short enough to do after work, the sunset views are great, and you can avoid the massive crowds that show up on the weekends.
Quick Facts:
Distance: 6.5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2400 ft
Location: Ira Spring Trailhead, I-90, Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
Season: Early Summer-Late Fall
Dogs Allowed: Yes,
Parking Pass: Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass
Check the weather: mountain-forecast, weather.gov
Check for recent trip reports: WTA, AllTrails
Getting there:
Click here for the TH location on GoogleMaps
This trailhead has great accessibility from Seattle since it’s only 4 miles off of I-90. Unfortunately those 4 miles are on a forest road that gets somewhat rough in places with some large potholes. The condition of the road changes from year to year, so be sure to check recent trip reports to see if there are any major obstacles, but typically it is passable by all types of vehicles with some care.
Mason Lake, late May 2020
Mason Creek, late May 2020
View from the trail, November 2017
Hike description:
This hike for me is really more about the journey than the destination – I really like this trail! It’s a consistent uphill that’ll keep your legs and lungs working, with some great sights along the way. Start out on the Ira Spring trail: a wide, smooth path through the woods. You’ll pass over several small streams, and take a nice bridge over raging Mason Creek (the creek that flows out of Mason Lake, where you’re headed!). You’ll get some peekaboo views through the trees across I-90, with McClellan Butte as the most prominent peak.
Soon you’ll leave the woods and enter some open talus fields. The trail and the views along it are beautiful here, and soon Rainier will be dominating your sight. One of the reasons I love doing this after work in the early summer is that this part of the trail faces the south, so it melts out relatively early, you’ll get ample light into the evening, and there are great sunset views. The views continue as the trail switchbacks through the open hillside until you reach a signed fork – take the left trail for Mason Lake.
View from the trail, late May 2020
Sunset from the trail, late May 2020
You only have a small amount of uphill left before you’ll drop over the ridge just before mile 3 and lose some elevation to reach the lake basin. This almost feels like a different hike as the noise of I-90 suddenly fades, and snow lingers for far longer than the rest of the trail.
Before long you’re at Mason Lake – it’s a perfectly nice lake, but usually I’m itching to get back on the trail south of the ridge, which I think is the best part of the hike. Either way, enjoy both as much as you can!