Icicle Ridge, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

Icicle Ridge trail, near Leavenworth

 

The Icicle Ridge trail is located near the town of Leavenworth in Eastern Washington.  We have cross-country skied at Icicle Creek but had never tried hiking the nearby Icicle Ridge.  The turn off road to the parking area is a little hard to find.  There is a sign but it is at ground level on the road not at eye level and it is relatively small.  The parking area is on a dirt road loop, with one section closer to the sign shown in the picture above and at the entrance to the actual trail.  No pass is required.  Next to this area is also a port-a-potty.  The lower parking area is a short walk down the hill from the upper lot. 

 

Most of the trail surface looks like this

 

The trail is locally popular and in good to excellent condition.  The surface is smooth packed dirt with practically no rocks or roots.  There are 21 switchbacks up to the top and the grade gets steeper the higher you go.  This early in the season our legs and stamina are not at peak condition yet, so we knew we would not go all the way up and ended up turning around at the 11^th switchback.  As far as we went this trail did not have staircases or steps.  

 

Icicle Ridge looking out from the trail

 

Icicle Ridge looking down and toward the Wenatchee River

 

 

 Even though we did not go all the way up, there were several places on the way up that offered wonderful views of the valley and the Wenatchee River.  The forest is mainly Pine trees that are for the most part widely spread apart and offer viewing opportunities along the way.  There have been fires in the area in the past and lots of the trees have blackened trunks.  Unlike the west side forests where there are lots of downed trees from the November bomb cyclone, we did not notice many downed trees. 

 

This shows the steep hillside

 

In the Spring this area is full of gorgeous arrow leaf balsam root flowers.  In places the entire hillside was covered in these grand, large yellow flowers.  There were lots of other flowers as well, such as Ballhead Waterleaf, Fairy Bells, Mertensia, Service Berry, Blue-Eyed-Mary, Sandwort, Vetch, Oregon Anemone, Spring Beauty, and Death Camas.  The Oregon Anemone was a surprise.  It is not common and we had not seen it before. 

 

Balsam root flowers were all over the hillside on one section of the trail

 

 Ballhead Waterleaf

 

Fairy Bells

 

 Mertensia

 

Vetch

 

 Service Berry aka Saskatoon

 

 Oregon Anemone

 

 

Death Camas

 

 Prairie Star

 

 Spring Beauty

 

 

Count for the day:

37 hikers, plus one baby being carried in a front pack

3 dogs

3 miles RT

650 ft elevation gain

 

 

Note:  Something to be aware of, there are rattlesnakes in many places in Eastern Washington; however, we have not seen any on our hikes. 

 

Early Hiking Summary, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

Oxbow Loop

 

We put away the skis and got out the boots.  The hiking season this year started with a few of our usual warm up hikes, such as Oxbow Loop where the Discover Pass is required, and the Connector Trail that goes between the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River parking area and the Garfield Ledges trailhead.  Both Middle Fork and Garfield Ledges require the NW Forest Pass or senior National Park Pass.  These are short, 2 miles RT, and easy.  Since people ask, especially if they are taking children, the Oxbow outhouse was open and clean.  The Middle Fork Snoqualmie trailhead outhouse was also open.  We did the entire Oxbow Loop but only part of the Connector.  Mostly we were looking for a good spot on the Connector to sit by the Taylor River and enjoy a snack.  

 

 

 Fawn Lilies on a section of the Barnum Point trail

 

The next week we did a new trail, for us, Barnum Point, and associated side trails, plus the Iverson Spit trail, which we had done part of once before.  Both of these areas are on Camano Island.  There are porta-potties only.  No passes or fees are required at these Camano parks.  

 

 

Yesler Swamp found in the Urban Horticultural Center

In between we did a local city walk at Yesler Swamp, part of the Urban Horticultural Center on Lake Washington.  A lot of this trail is on boardwalks over boggy or wet areas.  There are some view points and interpretive signs.  It is level and a short walk.  

 

  

 

 

Looking out from the top of Goose Rock at Puget Sound, US Navy Base at mid upper left

 

The following week we did Goose Rock at Deception Pass, where a Discover Pass is required.  It is steep but short with lots of flowers.  The parking area by the bridge has flush toilets and sinks.  From Goose Rock we drove to the Meerkerk Gardens on Whidbey Island where the rhododendrons are blooming and gorgeous.  The Gardens have a $10 entrance fee.  There is supposed to be one or more porta-potty.  That day ended with a stop at the Greenbank Farm Cheese Store and a ferry ride home.  

 

 Rhododendrons at the Meerkerk Gardens

 

 

 

 

The hillside was covered in the yellow balsam flowers. 

 

 

Our most recent hikes were on a two-day trip to Leavenworth where we did a new trail for us, Icicle Ridge, where no pass is required and where there is a porta-potty.  It is steep with 21 switchbacks.  We knew it was too early in the season for us to go all the way up to the saddle but we managed to get to the 11^th switchback before turning around.  That trail is very popular with few rocks and no roots to speak of.  It gets progressively steeper as it goes up, for a total elevation gain of about 1700 ft, which might be more than we can do at this age.  The trail is open to mountain bikers as well as hikers.  There were hundreds of beautiful arrow leaf balsam root flowers and other flowers too.  

 

 Looking down on Ingalls Creek from the trail

 

Also, near Leavenworth, we did Ingalls Creek where the NW Forest Pass or a senior National Park Pass is needed.  The Ingalls Creek outhouse was closed and locked.  It did not have a sign on the door, so it might open in May when there are more hikers.  There were early flowers including a couple of uncommon finds. 

 

A few individual reports will posted about the new places for us. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paradise, Mt. Rainier National Park, 2024

 

 

 

Mt. Rainer National Park entry sign

 

 

Beginning this year reservations to visit Mt. Rainier National Park during the high-volume summer months were required.  There was a two-hour window for arrival time.  Bob made a reservation with an arrival window between 9 am and 11 am.  That meant we had to get up around 6 am for the long drive, about 2 ½ hours, not counting an accident on the freeway that resulted in the closure of two lanes and cost us another half hour of creep and stop traffic; however, we still made it by 9:30 am.  

 

We did several short "walk-abouts," that included Christine Falls, Paradise Falls, Narada Falls, Myrtle Falls, part of the Lily Trail, and Reflection Lake.  We stopped at Christine Falls first, walking down to look at the lower falls and then up and across the roadway to see the upper falls.

 

 

 

 Lower Christine Falls

Upper Christine Falls 

On the way up to the main day use parking area at Paradise, we stopped at Paradise Falls.  The trail down to the viewing area looked rough and a little eroded, so I remained up while Bob went down and took some pictures.   Then we drove to Reflection Lake hoping to get some pretty shots of the mountain and lake, but the mountain was being shy and invisible as shown in the picture below.  So, we got back in the car and headed up to Paradise to park.  We held on to the hope that the clouds would dissipate and we could return to Reflection Lake later in the day and get some pretty pictures of the mountain and lake. 

 

 

 

A shy Mt. Rainier poking out of the clouds above Reflection Lake

 

 

After parking in the very full parking area, we headed up to Myrtle Falls.  We have been here several times and usually see marmots and sometimes deer near the falls.  There is a steep stairway down to a viewing area.  The bottom portion of the stairs is not in good repair.  Once again, I stayed up on top and Bob went down.   

 

 

 From the bridge looking up from Myrtle Falls

Bob's photo of Myrtle Falls from the lower viewing platform.  I stayed up by the bridge.

Looking up at lower Myrtle Falls from the road below

 

 

 

 

 Buck

A beautiful antlered buck posed and nibbled on shrubs near the bridge that crosses over the top of the falls.  Later, we also saw a doe and fawn on the road as we drove down to exit the park.  But still no marmots. 

 

 Doe crossing the road

 

followed by the fawn

 

The Lily Trail or Nisqually Loop was another short hike that we have done before.  Earlier in the summer this trail winds around through thousands of lilies and marmots like to eat the lupine that grows here too.  But the lilies were finished for the year and we did not see marmots or much lupine.  However, there were still flowers, gentian, lupine, asters, foraging golden rod, hellebore or corn flower, magenta paintbrush, fireweed, rosy spirea, pink monkey flowers, besides the pearly everlasting growing near the parking areas, on the various trails, and along the road everywhere.

 

 Gentian

 

Fireweed

Asters and False Hellebore, also known as Corn Lily

Closer look at the Corn Lily flowers

Magenta Paintbrush

Lupine

Foraging Golden Rod

Rosy Spirea

Mountain Arnica

Pink Monkey Flowers

The mountain, which should be huge and dominate the horizon this close, was still mostly invisible, shrouded in mist and clouds.    

 

On the Lily Trail, Mt. Rainier still being shy

On the way out we stopped at Narada Falls and walked down the rocky, steep, trail to the viewing areas. This is low water season but the falls were lacy and very pretty.  There was even a little rainbow in the falling water. 

 

 Narada Falls

 

Count for the day:

Note:  Since hundreds of people visit Mt. Rainier National Park, we do not attempt to count the people. No dogs are allowed on the trails in the park.  

 

 

Sheep Lake, Chinook Pass, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Approaching Sheep Lake

 

This week our destination was Sheep Lake.  This trail takes off to the right, while the Naches Loop trail goes left from the parking area at Chinook Pass.  It is part of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) where hikers who start at the Mexico-California border and aim for Canada are nearing the end of their long trek. 

 

Bob checked the weather report and said it was predicted to be cold, so we had better dress warmly.  We did.  However, the “best laid plans gang aft agley” and it was not cold at all but ended up around 75 F instead of in the 50s F.   There is not much in the way of shade on the first section of the trail, so we got pretty hot and started shedding some of our layers.  

 

Most of the flowers are finished for the year but we saw plenty of Pearly Everlasting, some lupine, orange paint brush, arnica, asters, marsh marigolds, larkspur, pentesmon, and some wispy, fluffy, seed stage unknown plants. 

 

 

 

Asters

 

Larkspur

 

Marsh Marigolds

 

Pentesmon

Pearly Everlasting

Sheep Lake is a 4-mile RT hike that gains about 600 ft as it goes up and down a bit instead of steadily up or down.  The trail is narrow in places, alternately sandy and rocky.  It eventually goes into a forest where there is more shade before ending at the lake.  From the lake it is possible to continue on the PCT over Sourdough Pass and toward Snoqualmie Pass, Stevens Pass, and eventually Canada. 

 

 Stream entering Sheep Lake

 

The far end of Sheep Lake

 

There are foot paths around the lake, little streams, and places by the shore where one can sit and enjoy the views or count pollywogs.  We had one place in mind and headed for it.  Unfortunately, there was a new addition to “our” private spot, a yellow-jacket hive!  We both got stung and did not linger in that area but scuttled away as fast as we could.  We encountered a catch & release fly fisherman by the lake and had a very nice visit with him, his wife and in-laws, in the shade, by the lake, sans bees, before heading back to the car.   

 

One very plump chipmunk, living high on handouts perhaps?  Posed for pictures.  The chipmunks were not particularly shy around people and all of them looked well fed.  Gray Jays, aka camp robber jays, were also in evidence.

 

 Plump Chipmunk

 

It was sunny with bright blue sky and the mountain (Mt. Rainier) was out, so we stopped at Tipsoo Lake, and got some nice photos.

 

 Tipsoo Lake and Mt. Rainier

 

Count for the day:

30 hikers, including 14 through hikers

5 dogs

4 miles RT, 600 ft elevation gain