You can easily fall through snow as it melts. Cacti & Canines: Best Dog-Friendly Hikes Near Phoenix. Nestled in a high rocky cirque near the upper reaches of Mt Daniel, Spade and Venus Lakes are two of the most remote lakes in the Alpine Lake Wilderness. From here you'll gain impressive views of Lundin Peak and Red Mountain. For 67 miles you’ll traverse the Alpine Lakes Wilderness while encountering numerous lakes, meadows, jagged peaks, and old-growth forest. Lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness are protected within the Wenatchee National Forest or Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Not far from the spur, you’ll reach Spectacle Lake. “Jade Lake is so called because of its turquoise waters, colored by glacial silt,” says Matthew Leib on Backpacker Magazine. Dogs also must always be on leash on many trails in the popular Alpine Lakes Wilderness. If you encounter a mountain goat, keep your distance. Take a dip in the cool water and pitch your tent lakeside. The road out is rough, the lake is small, and water is frigid — which is precisely why you should hike there. From there, it's all downhill to Snow Lake. Mount Margaret sits just outside the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and mostly follows an old logging road. Why you should go: Visit Snow Lake, Gem Lake, Lower Wildcat Lake, and Upper Wildcat Lake on an epic two-day trek. The Snoqualmie to Stevens Pass section of the PCT is purely breathtaking. Resources. Load up the family wagon and spend the day picnicking at Denny Creek. With camp on the shores of this beautiful backcountry lake, this BCRT provides a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act by joining us on a project that will help keep the trails in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in great shape. Glacier worn rocks, pristine lakes, craggy snow covered peaks, subalpine larches, and salt loving mountain goats all reside here. In order to access this trail you must first hike in along one or more other trails. But first, the trail starts from Snoqualmie Pass and into the Commonwealth Basin, with old-growth forests and more great vistas of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. As you pass the lake, you’ll wander through meadows, tread a narrow switchback, and traverse a talus slope. Push past the hoards of hikers flocking to Snow Lake and find peace trekking out to Upper Wildcat Lake. You’re likely to find a good amount of company here as Pete Lake is about four miles in. Why you should go: A grueling and remote photographic section of the PCT that crests the Cascades. This 10.5-mile out-and-back in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness leads to Larch Lake, a backcountry pool rimmed with larch trees and 7,000-foot peaks. Carissa is an outdoor freelance writer who loves nature, yearns for a good campfire, and lives for the next adventure. As you break from the forest, you begin your switchback through open meadows. Rock climbers swarm here for the famous Cashmere Crags, and backpackers are drawn by the majestic landscape of The Enchantments. Maine is playfully nicknamed “Vacationland,” and at Acadia National Park you’ll quickly see why. As the trees thin, views of the rugged Cathedral Rock and Granite Mountain appear upon the horizon. No roads cross the trail here, which means no resupplying. Here's how to choose which may be best for you. Gaze out into the distance and you’ll have views of Rainier and the Olympic Peninsula on a clear day. As you climb to the top, you’ll be traveling along the south face of Granite Mountain through avalanche tracks and a sensitive alpine ecosystem. That is the true beauty of Snow Lake--how readily it shares the splendor of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Following is a list of our favorite hikes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Territory Supply is reader-supported and may earn a commission when you book or purchase using our links. 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