this was the only pinpoint weather i could find that had 0% chance of rain or thunderstorms.  2 hrs 50 minutes moving time up to bathtub lakes (plus 20 minutes sugar/break time on a gulch rock). 

Round trip 8.25 miles, total elevation up and down 2800.  

the road to the TH wasnt a joke, only saw high(er) clearance vehicles.  

several blowdowns / muddy from TH to pinnacle lake.  strayed from the path 20 feet only 1x on the way up.  (totally strayed the same wrong way on the way back to the car, more on that later).

hugged pinnacle lake to the left until taking a hard left up the valley of running water / boulders / iodine gulch.  crossed the running water (on rocks) a couple times on the way up.  then followed the cairns (saw 3) through the boulder field.  be careful of loose rock - luckily the rocks were not wet/slipper at all.  saw a lot of 6 inch tall "super mean-looking" thorn bouquets growing through this area.  i give those a week b4.....well, yikes.  

there were definitely times when i straight up stopped, chilled, and ate sugar. and honestly, contemplated quitting.  but the sugar helped, as did the views of glacier peak and others across the way.  but, yeah, it kind of sucked (trailfinding, big boulders, loose rock, avoiding water)....im most glad that none of the thousands of bugs that landed on me - actually bit me.  

Once i reached the top of the "pass" there was a path to the left.  i went straight (very good choice).  i didnt go down to the first tarn because i could see the path up and to the right.  again, good choice.  

now i reached the area i was aiming for. there were 3 dudes leaving the area right as i entered.  

On the way back - i saw all the yellow paint (which i was super thankful for, it led me directly on the path out). 

Also, on my way down to the trailhead i definitely heard low, rhythmic grunting (every 5 - 8 seconds) while i was on one-side of the switchbacks. 

and of course i strayed from the path exactly where i did on the way up.  and 20 feet lower i found 2 other cool hikers who had wondered off-trail as well.  we walked together back to the established trail and followed my gps back.  there was definitely a little hairpin turn we missed.  but looking back at the decision-making point - there were dead sticks piled up trying to tell me not to go the wrong direction.....so keep your eye out for it!  There are ribbons to guide you as well (look up for them).  

hiker dudes also heard the rhythmic noise.  bear?  elk/moose?  

i'll post pictures later......and none of the good ones either.  sorry.  #alien

A couple friends and I wanted a quick, close overnight trip and having done this before in the summer, it came to mind as a possible late spring option. We were unsure what snow conditions would be like but we're all comfortable and experienced on mixed terrain and decided to give it a shot. 

I was last up here in 2017 and the trailhead and trail were both in rough shape then. Besides the repaired road washout, things haven't gotten any better. I would definitely recommend high clearance for any vehicle, since deep, small potholes would likely be hard to pass in a lower vehicle. The trail itself has been obscured by overgrowth and LOTS of blowdowns. Having a GPS track to follow makes navigation much easier, and we ran into another hiker who said he had gotten off-trail while routing around a large downed tree and wandered lost for a little while before finding the trail again. I can absolutely see how this could happen with the number and size of the blowdowns. Some work has been done to route over/around these trees and to mark the new route with tape, but these can be easy to lose if you're not paying very close attention.

Snow begins just before you reach Pinnacle Lake, the the trail has deep mud at this section but can be avoided by sticking to the edges of the trail. The stream/lake crossings at the east end of Pinnacle are high, and the trail is pretty consistently challenging after this point. Pinnacle still has a fair bit of snow on it (especially along the western part of the lake), and most of the shoreline is still snow-covered as well. Navigating around the lake is a combination of picking carefully along steep-ish snow slopes and veggie-belaying yourself across the recently melted out sections (that are a mix of pretty sturdy bushes and devil's club, so prepare for some fun! There really isn't any other way through this section than to grab on for dear life so that if your feet slip you at least stay out of the water. All three of us ended up with at least one foot in the lake at this point, but it was kind of expected.

The start of the boulder field leading into Iodine Gulch is melting out quickly, leaving rotten snow, snow bridges, and some fun surprise drops if you don't test your footing. We stuck to the normal trail that crosses the creek to the far side of the gulch, which just like the lakeside trail is a mess of matted-down shrubbery that has been exposed by recent snowmelt. The gulch sucks. More veggie belays, devils club, snow bridges, and steep, loose terrain. The snow up the middle of the gulch didn't look reliable enough to ascend, and there is a significant amount of water running underneath. The guys stuck to the right of the rock outcropping and reported that it was "sketchy as f*ck" with sections that were slick and offered essentially no traction or protection. I tucked left along the rock and found some reasonable steps up boulders that while slick and muddy, still allowed for reasonably safe passage. The snow crossing at the top of the gulch was pretty solid still, although having an ice axe for self-arrest would be ideal (we did) since a slip here would send you a long way down into a soft, boulder-y landing. 10/10 would not recommend.

From here on out it's snow.We had microspikes but never used them; the snow is a little soft but consolidates well underfoot. There is definitely some water running under the snow as you pass the first couple tiny tarns and I imagine these creeks will really start melting out soon. We made camp on the ridge above the first (easternmost) lakes and found a nice little trickle of water running down the block so we didn't have to melt snow or trudge down to the creek below for water. Overnight wind was minimal and temps reasonable, making camping on the ridge enjoyable.

We took the morning to explore around the lakes which are JUST starting to melt out. There were one 2 tiny patches were rock was visible, besides those it's still that gorgeous teal alpine lake snowmelt/slush. We trudged around for a little, took some pictures, then packed up camp and headed out.

After testing the snow and terrain, we chose to glissade down the UPPER portion of the gulch. The lower portion definitely didn't look safe enough and none of us really felt like a boulder up the arse sounded like a fun saturday afternoon. On the descent, we stuck closer to the snowfield for much of the way and that actually made the trip a little easier. There are cairns marking the way, so as long as you look for them they lead along a pretty reasonable path.

Made it back in time to stop for dinner in Granite Falls and night shift work at 10pm. The sunburn is real and I now look like a lizard, but it was so worth it. 

I'd give this maybe a week before the snow gets really bad, but that means the melt isn't far behind. This trail always feel so much longer than it is and I'm convinced my GPS lied to me (even though we all tracked it similarly). The poor shape of the trail, the rerouting, navigating snowfields and veggie belays, and the steep gain of the gulch just make this slow going. Including a jaunt around some of the upper lakes, I clocked this at 7.01 miles and ~2300 feet of gain. 

I've been meaning to check this one off my list for a while, and figured it would be a good choice for a smokey day. Wow, this place is a fantastic payoff for the effort. I'm not sure the milage, but it is definitely sub 4 miles via the Pinnacle Lake route. I know you can access this area from Pilchuck, but I imagine it would be a much longer hike. There is a faint boot path to follow from Pinnacle, that becomes more obvious once the ridge is obtained. You can see the top of the ridge soon after leaving Pinnacle, but the going is very slow up Iodine Gultch. 

The road to the trailhead is probably possible for smaller cars, but only if you really don't like your car and have lots of patience. It's fine for higher clearance vehicles at the moment. 

There are a few well manicured camp spots around the lakes, I will definitely be making an overnight trip at some point. I saw no one else on the trail the entire time. However, someone came up to Pinnacle Lake while I was at Bathtub Lakes and littered plastic bottles and food wrappers both along the trail and at the trailhead. I was trail running the last half of the trail and was very much hoping to catch up to this person, but they were gone by the time I arrived back at my car. 

If you went to Pinnacle lake between 3 and 6pm yesterday, please learn to respect the trails or find a new hobby. 

Really wanted to spend some time soaking in the beauty of this little area, so we spent the night at Bathtubs lakes and were blown away by the Perfect weather and stunning fall colors!  The trail up to Pinnacle lake was very straight forward.  We took our time going up Iodine Gulch, and had such a fantastic time relaxing with the clear skies, moon/stars at night, and blue waters.  There were a couple patches of snow left over from the skifs last weekend, but they were quickly melting out.  So glad we got to do this trip before the snow arrives for the winter!!

I was sitting on Mt Pilchuck the other day watching a couple and their dog make there way over to Bathtub Lakes and I decided I needed to get up to the basin but I wanted to go up via Pinnacle lk. I did a little research on this site and found what I needed to know thanks to some great trip reports from other hikers.

  A friend and I hit the road at about 8:45 and after a coffee stop we pointed the car towards Verlot and off we went.  The road to Pinnacle lk was easy to find which was the only good thing about it.  It was rough!  Many potholes and bumpy stretches.  We had a high clearance vehicle and even then it was slowing going.  We rolled into the parking lot a little shaken but good.

  The first part of the trail to Pinnacle lk is pretty plush but soon it got pretty rough.  Lots of work arounds for fallen trees and slides.  Pay attention on the way up as there are a few little side trails that can lead you astray.

  Once you get to Pinnacle lk things start to get interesting.  Pick your way around the left side of the lake looking for the feint trail.  At one point you are right along the lake holding onto branches as you cross a slick rock(see attached pic).  One slip and you are swimming!  You will see the ravine ahead that you want to go up as you work your way around the lake.

  Once you get there find the trail were it leads to the stream and start heading up.  At first you go right up the stream but then you transition to a boulder field and then through a cool little hanging valley and then straight up the slope to the top!  Its a leg burner for sure.  We took a couple quick breathers on the way up and turned around to take in the view of the mountains behind us.  We could see Glacier Peak and the Cascades in their full beauty.  This trail is tricky with lots of loose rock and unstable footing.  Make sure you have good footwear and take your time.  Its not a trail for the feint of heart. 

  In no time at all we made the top and found the yellow spots marked on the rocks to lead the way.  It didn't take long to find the lakes and a great lunch spot.  It was warm and sunny and best of all their wasn't another person in sight.

  The trip down was uneventful but it did take my full concentration to make sure I did not tumble down Iodine Gulch ass over tea kettle.  Did I mention the trail was loose and slippery?  It was!

  We got back to the parking lot in less than 2 hours.  It is the first time in recent memory that I did not see another hiker on the trail.  Nice to know that you can get away from it all when you want.  

  I would not recommend hiking this trail until some trail work is done on the Pinnacle Lk approach.  There have been a lot of trees down over the trail and paths are being created to get around them in several directions which is causing a lot of erosion.  If you do decide to do this hike be cognizant of this and try to stay on the main path.  Also the lakes them selves are a bit of a fragile eco system, treat them with respect.  

  All in all a great hike on an warm October day.  happy trails all!