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Trip Report

Heather Lake — Monday, Jan. 19, 2026

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
Heather Lake

The road only has a few potholes of note, mostly clustered near the parking area. The main parking area still had a few spots at 8:15am on a clear, warm holiday Monday, and overflow seemed to still have openings at 10:30am. There are some fingerprints from the December storms left on this trail, but it remains in good condion, and the first 2/3mi are practically pristine. The snow in the last quarter mile was easily navigable even without spikes or poles, but always better to be prepared. There were a couple downhill sections that required some delicacy, but the most dubious footing I encountered was on frozen roots rather than snow. It was striking how much this felt like March or even April between the state of the snowpack and temperature. Go hug a glacier while you can.

This is a popular and accessible hike- great for early in the year or early in your years. If you're looking for somewhere quiet to find solitude in nature, this is not it (or you'd better get a very early start). Just a few personal grievances to close: (1) Sound travels very easily across lakes, especially frozen lakes. That includes your Bluetooth speaker. (2) Just because other people are walking across a partially frozen lake doesn't mean you should.

Snow in the last quarter mile
Roots (not icy) below the snow line
The lake is not fully frozen.
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