Dayhike up Lost Creek Ridge to Round Lake overlook & Point. 5860 on 11.17.23

ROAD: Bumpy and rather potholed once you hit the gravel section of the Mt. Loop (we came in from the north). AWD and some clearance helped ease the bumps. No other cars at the TH, and no facilities either.

TRAIL: In good shape with a few blowdowns to step over, duck walk under or go around. A steady climb through the forest on well-graded switchbacks took us up over 2000' of gain to the Gap. The trail was snow-free for quite a ways before compact snow and ice took over. We put on microspikes sometime below Bingley Gap.

Once at the Gap, we headed right and eventually put on snowshoes as we climbed and the snow deepened. Peekaboo views began to tease us as we headed on, and we finally broke out into more open terrain with beautiful views especially of Mt. Pugh and Sloan dominating the skyline.

A note of caution: we had to traverse across several steep slopes as we proceeded along the ridge. These slopes could be avalanche-prone with deeper snow or in more unstable conditions. 

We eventually reached where the trail would cut up towards the lake overlook and broke trail that way, eventually ending up on the ridge with a view down to the semi-frozen Round Lake.

A snack later, we decided to keep going up along the ridge towards the next high spot at around 5860'. We were rewarded with a great view of the surroundings, including Glacier Peak which had remained hidden until then. 

We had debated trying to make it to Breccia Peak, but at that point we knew it would be a very late and dark hike out if we kept pushing on, so we retraced our steps and made it out before sunset instead.

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TLDR: quick day hike up and down to Round Lake. Fall foliage is in full swing in the subalpine. Trail texture ok; walk down to the lake and back up is tedious. Road is rough but doable.

Stats

Distance: 10.51 miles
Elevation gain: 4,236 ft.
Moving time: 4:29

My colleague recommended I hike Round Lake, so why not? The road was rough, but doable. My Outback handled it fine, but I imagine lower clearance vehicles would be ok too if you drive slowly.

Temps were below 40 degrees at the TH, so I wore my fleece instead of hiking shirt. After 1 mile I was hot as heck and regretting my decision.

There are a few blowdowns along the way, but nothing too tricky to navigate. Otherwise the hike is typical for western Washington: steep, wooded, and no views until the very top.

The hike down to and back up from the lake itself is tedious. There was plenty of rime ice on a shady ridge descending to the lake, so definitely bring trekking poles if you aren't sure of footing. Otherwise the lake was beautiful.

I saw only three other people the whole time, plus found a bunch of delicious lobster mushrooms on the drive in!

PS - pay attention to driving directions. I took a wrong turn and didn't catch myself until I was closer to Darrington than I was to the next paved road, so I spent waaaay longer driving home than I needed to.

This is a very nice hike through excellent old growth forest to a great view point above Round Lake.  Some of the old Doug Fir on the lower half of the trail are huge and beautiful.  At around 4 miles you get great views of Mt Pugh and Mount Sloan.  Round lake has a beautiful blue color and is set in an impressive cirque.

We only saw one backpacker all day. The trail is moderately steep but have very nice soft tread.  We opted not to drop down 600 feet to the lake shore but would have if it was warm enough to swim

10 mi, 3800 ft

First of all...don't let the trail description turn you off.  You don't gain a mile of elevation over 2.75 miles. 

After the initial and somewhat flat first half-mile, you will gain gently until 1.3 miles in.  There is also a trickle of water for the dog here. 

The trail does steepen after that, but the grade is similar to other ridge hikes in the North Cascades such as West Cady Ridge, Nason Ridge, etc.  Additionally, this trail was built for equestrians.  You couldn't take a horse up it now because of the blowdowns, but the trail is smooth and soft.  You can't ask for a better trail to walk up.   

Also...Bingly Gap is not the last forested spot on Lost Creek Ridge.  The trail remains mostly forested until about 1/2 mile before Round Lake.  From there, you'll go in and out of cover.  

The ridge is beautiful, and you are right in the face of Sloan Peak.  Due to the smoke, I couldn't see past the next ridgeline over on either side, but I'm certain the view would be spectacular.  

Also...the destination is beautiful.  The trail description seems to discount it a bit, but you shouldn't.  I greatly enjoyed the viewpoint of the lake, but I didn't go down.  The water is below the outlet, so it's a stagnant lake right now...I would imagine it's a buggy hell down there. 

The most spectacular thing about this hike is that we had it almost completely to ourselves. Passed 2 other groups the entirety of the trip. While the views aren’t the most breathtaking of the mountain loop highway (sad to have Glacier blocked), the solitude is worth a lot, and Sloane really got its chance to shine. Black flies at the lake were a nuisance and bit up the two members of our group who swam, but they enjoyed their dip in the water anyways. Some downed but passable trees along the way. As previous reports stated, the road (both mountain loop as well as FR49) is not in good shape, but if you take it slow should be fine. Definitely easier with AWD and clearance. Enjoy!