SKYLINE LAKE
A short but steep hike or snowshoe to a ridge above a lake with great views of the Steven’s Pass area. This is an extremely popular snowshoe route so don’t expect much solitude, but it’s a great way to get in the mountains during the snowy months.
Quick Facts:
Distance: 3 miles
Elevation Gain: 1300 feet
Location: Skyline Lake Trailhead, Steven’s Pass North, Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
Season: Winter
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Parking Pass: None (but parking will be very difficult to get if the ski resort is open)
Check the weather: mountain-forecast, weather.gov
Check for recent trip reports: WTA, AllTrails
Notes: Depending on snow conditions and how many people have snowshoed this trail recently, you may or may not actually need snowshoes to reach the lake, but you will almost definitely want some form of traction. Be careful of skiers and snowboarders who may be heading down the road quickly with limited lines of sight around the switchbacks.
Getting there:
Click here for the TH location on Google Maps
Ideally for this hike you would park in Lot C of Stevens Pass, as far to the west as possible. However, if you can only find parking elsewhere you can use the pedestrian bridge and walk through the parking lot as necessary to end up at the spot linked above. You’ll be at the bottom of a lightly maintained road that goes by some small cabins (there may be some people using the bottom of the road as a sledding hill).
View on the trail down to the lake from the ridge, late November 2020
Boulder garden, late November 2020
Snowy trees, November 2020
Hike description:
There are two ways you can get to Skyline Lake. You can stay on the road all the way to the turnoff at about 1 mile, or you can cut cross-country to mostly stay off the road. The road is very easy to follow, but if it has been getting a lot of use it may be quite packed down and you may not need your snowshoes. Also, the road can get a bit busy with other snowshoers and skiers. We chose to snowshoe off the road to get some solitude and put our snowshoes to work on the way up, and then took the road on the way down.
About a mile up the road you will see a path veering off of the left side of the road. If you’ve been hiking up the road, this will be 3 switchbacks after you encounter a large radio tower. If you’ve been hiking off the road, pay attention to your map to know when you reach the turnoff point.
Skyline Lake, late November 2020
View of the ski resort from the trail, late November 2020
After a flat half mile you will reach Skyline Lake. Although the lake will likely look frozen and be covered in snow, I really recommend that you don’t cross the lake as it is impossible to know how thick the ice is and you could break through. Instead, walk along the north shore of the lake to access the slope on the west side of the lake. Head uphill here until you reach a saddle point, and then hike to your left up the ridge further. The views will continue to open up as you climb, and in a short while you’ll reach the boulder garden, where huge boulders are often covered in dramatic layers of snow. This is a good spot to turn around if you don’t have extensive snow skills, as a slip between boulders could be very dangerous. If you feel comfortable, you can continue on to nearby highpoint 5400.