Heather - Maple Pass Loop
3 days ago
Colorful slopes ablaze with fall hues
12 this month · 119 reports
Wing Lake
North Cascades
updated 6 days ago
The trail to Wing Lake involves navigating significant boulder fields, particularly between Heather Pass and Lewis Lake. While cairns offer suggestions, several routes are possible, and staying closer to the treeline on the right can reveal faint dirt trails which are easier on the legs, as noted on August 14 and August 5. Snow is now completely free from the trail, with the last report of lingering snow being from July 4. Road access is good, with the parking lot at Rainy Pass recently repaved and striped as of September 19. Bugs have been reported as an annoyance by several hikers, particularly around Lewis Lake, even with a breeze on July 25 and August 9, though one report from September 19 mentioned no bugs. Larches are just beginning to show golden color as of September 19, with a full larch march still a couple of weeks away.
Generated from 19 trip reports. Trails change faster than reports do, so check anything you’d turn around for.
What hikers ask about Wing Lake
Generated from the most recent trip reports, newest 6 days ago. Check anything you’d turn around for.
The boulder fields are a significant feature, particularly between Heather Pass and Lewis Lake. Staying closer to the treeline on the right can reveal faint dirt trails that are easier to navigate, as observed on August 14. Some reports note that cairns are present but may be more suggestive than definitive routes, with several options existing through the boulder fields.
No, the trail is reported to be snow-free as of September 19. The last report mentioning lingering snow was from July 4, indicating all snow has melted.
The road is suitable for all vehicles. The parking lot at Rainy Pass was recently repaved and striped as of September 19, though it can fill up quickly, with many vehicles parking along the highway.
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Trail notes generated from recent reports. Conditions change fast.
Sources
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Arrived at the Rainy Pass trailhead around 6:45am on Saturday. We parked in the parking lot, which has recently been repaved and striped. There were only a handful of real car spots left in the lot, w...
Older1 month ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Lot of good stuff was already said about this beautiful area. Main purpose of this trip report is to alert the hikers/climbers that there actually exist a faint trail across the boulder field to the ...
Older1 month ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
We managed to do a 1-nighter at Wing Lake with decent AQI, but would keep a close eye on the conditions because when the smoke is blowing in the wrong direction, it's very smoky up there.There's a cle...
Older1 month ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
We reached the Maple Pass trailhead about 6:30 am. There were a few cars in the parking lot. We figured the wildfire smoke would be a deterrent and it was. Visibility was somewhat limited on the way...
Older2 months ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
We completed a 2-night backpack to Lewis and Wing lakes off the Maple/Heather pass trail. The rainy pass trailhead is nearly always busy, but arriving between 12-1pm on Sunday, we found morning hikers...
Older2 months ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Car to car climb of Black Peak. We did not perceive smoke from the nearby fires, although we could see smoke in the distance from higher elevations while on the climb. After reading the previous trip ...
Older2 months ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Sammy the Salmon Sushi reporting from Black Peak!There are lots of black rocks on Black Peak, so it's a good name.Sammy signing off!Notes from Sammy's human:-Found a bunch of gear on the trail. hopefu...
Older12 months ago
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Distance (RT):12.0mi/19.3kmGain:4989ft/1521mGear (used):Semi-rigid mountaineering boots, poles, helmetGear (unused):N/AGear (should have brought):N/AWater:AbundantBugs:None observedOvernight at Wing L...
Older23 months ago
North Cascades
Yesterday, I hiked to the Wing Lake.10.4 miles RT with 3100 ft of elevation gain.took exactly 7 hours.Reached the TH at 9am on Saturday morning, and parking was a mess. There were so many people at th...
Older23 months ago
North Cascades
When we arrived to the trailhead around 11am on Saturday on a beautiful fall weekend, we joined many others at the Rainy Pass trailhead. So yes, parking is intense. We were able to snag a spot close-i...