For my birthday hike, Nick and I went to Lake 22. I’ve actually done the hike before, though I was too young to remember it. I can’t believe that my 83-year-old great-grandmother hiked Lake 22 on that trip. O_O

Lake 22 hike circa 1991. I’m the little one in blue and white stripes standing behind the baby (my sister, Amanda).

Lake 22 hike circa 1991. My 83-year-old great-grandmother and I are taking a snack break.

Lake 22 hike statistics*:

• Roundtrip: 5.4 miles
• Elevation gain: 1350 ft
• Highest point: 2400 feet

* These stats were taken from the WTA website (I forgot to track the hike using my apps – whoops!).

Parking

There is a parking area at the trailhead with room for about 50 cars. Nick and I got there fairly early on a Friday morning and didn’t have a problem getting a spot, but I could see the lot easily filling up, especially on weekends.

Lake 22 requires a Northwest Forest Pass. You can get a $30 annual pass or a $5 day pass.

The Hike

You start by walking through an old growth forest of ancient cedar trees, past streams and small waterfalls. About 1.5 miles in, the trail gets to a rocky, open talus slope.

Nick, the happy hiker!

We had been having sunny, dry weather in the 80’s and 90’s for about two months straight prior to this hike. It finally decided to start raining as Nick and I were driving to the trailhead. We hardly noticed the rain prior to this point in the hike, because the tall cedar trees protected us. When we got to the talus slope, though, we were completely exposed to the rain for the next mile or so and the rain had intensified since we started hiking. We got drenched and I took breaks to wring out my soaking wet hair.

Although we honestly didn’t mind the rain much, we were relieved to take cover under the trees again at the top of the slope. From there, it was a short trek to the lake. By the time we got to the lake, it had more or less stopped raining. I took some photos and then we sat down on a rock to eat sandwiches for lunch.

Lake 22 isn’t very big, but it’s a beautiful turquoise color. There is a trail around the perimeter of the lake, which we walked partway.

The clouds had cleared a bit by the time we started hiking back down the mountain. We were surprised when we got back to the open talus slope that there was a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. On our hike up, it was completely shrouded by rain clouds.

We really enjoyed the hike, though it was a bit rocky. There were spots on the slope where we had to scramble a bit over boulders. I’m so surprised that my great-grandma did it.

See the rest of the photos in my Lake 22 album on Flickr.