Dewey Lake, Naches Peak Loop & Pacific Crest Trail

getting there

Drive US-410 to the trailhead at Tipsoo Lake about a half mile south of Chinook Pass.

on the trail

Hike the Naches Peak Loop Trail from the trailhead on US-410 at Tipsoo Lake near Chinook Pass until it meets the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).  Turn left to loop back on the PCT or turn right to head south on the PCT towards any of several lakes that are great camps.

Naches Peak Loop

3.4-mile loop with 500 feet of elevation gain

This is a spectacular, easy, and popular alpine hike, which starts on the Cascade crest and the PCT at Chinook Pass (5,400 ft).  If the hike is done in the clockwise direction, Mount Rainier will be in view for the latter part of the hike. Snow lingers late on the east side of the peak and the trail there may not be accessible until late July or even early August, or not at all in some years.   This hike features splendid wildflower meadows from mid-July to mid-August, tarns, a waterfall, and in the fall, crimson huckleberry bushes in profusion. As you round the peak there are views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and the Goat Rocks as well as Tipsoo Lake and Yakima peak near the pass.

Dewey Lake

6 miles round trip* with 900 feet of elevation gain (it's 2.1 miles around the lake)

Anderson Lake

10 miles round trip* with 1,000 feet of elevation gain

American Lake

14 miles round trip* with 1,000 feet of elevation gain (it's ~0.5 mile east from the PCT)

Cougar Lake

19 miles round trip* with 1,600 feet of elevation gain

Laughingwater Creek

23.4 miles one-way with 2,600 feet of elevation gain

A one-way southbound trek on the PCT for fit and adventurous day hikers. Starting from Chinook Pass, travel along Mount Rainier National Park's eastern edge past multiple lakes and wildflower-filled meadows and along ridges with views into nearby valleys. Exit via the Laughingwater Creek trail which ends at SR-123 just south of the Rainier Nation Park Stevens Canyon entrance. A car shuttle is required.

Union Creek–Chinook Pass–American Ridge Loop

35-mile loop with 6,400 feet of elevation gain

* Returning via the PCT (the eastern half of Naches Peak Loop) adds ~0.6 miles but no elevation gain.

notes

• Out-of-Print Guidebook Reference: Day Hiking Snoqualmie Region​ by Dan A. Nelson (The Mountaineers Books 2007), the first edition of this guidebook.

Information for Leaders

Scheduling & Permits

• This route allows multiple bookings. Please check scheduled trips listed below in the "Activities" tab to see if there is another group already booked on the same day. If so, please coordinate with them to ensure you are carpooling, hiking, and camping at different areas. And please limit the the total capacity of all trips scheduled on the same day to 12, the Maximum Route/Place Capacity (e.g. one group of  12, two groups of six).

• Suitable Activities: Backpacking, Day Hiking
• Seasons: July, August, September, October
• Weather: View weather forecast

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Length: 6.0 mi
• Elevation Gain: 900 ft
• High Point: 5,800 ft

• Land Manager: Mount Rainier National Park
  William O Douglas Wilderness
• Parking Permit Required: Northwest Forest Pass
• Recommended Party Size: 12
• Maximum Party Size: 12
• Maximum Route/Place Capacity: 12