Lake Twenty Two Trail, Washington, United States

5Brig 5:00 PM Oct 22, 2017

Not for the faint of heart!
The hike up and back took us about 3+ hours. We are in our late 50's early 60's. My wife is in much better shape than I. We packed water bottles, some nuts and an apple for a snack to have once we got to the lake. We layered our clothes, I was in shorts and my wife in long pants. I was cold at first but felt just about right about 15 minutes in, my wife wished she was in shorts as the hike progressed. The trail thru the trees follows a thundering river for the first third of the trail, gorgeous waterfalls and many places where you were walking in water(running along the trail). You than break out into a slide area for the next third of the hike. Switchbacks, tough footing and a couple of places where you wonder exactly where is this trail going? My minimalist Merrill hiking shoes were not up for this part of the trail. Than the last third is off the jagged rocks and back into the woods, before arriving at the stunning Lake 22. I was impressed to see adults of all ages hiking the trail. Wow. This trail is not for the faint of heart.

4kwa829 5:00 PM Jul 25, 2014

One of the most popular hikes in western Washington with good reason
Just a fantastic hike in so many ways. The majority of the hike takes you through old growth forest, with streams and waterfalls within site at most times and audible at almost all times. The cirque (deep, cold, clearwater mountain lake) at the top is a worthwhile climax to the hike. The hike is 2.7 miles in each direction, add 1.3 miles if you wish to circumnavigate the lake when you get to the top. Starting elevation is 1,000 feet, ending elevation is 2500 feet. For an average hiker in moderately good physical condition, I'd budget about 3 hours to hike to the top, walk around the lake, and then return. DO beware that at the midpoint of the hike, the trail comes into a clearing where there are some switchbacks that will have you in full sunlight and walking on rocks and small boulders for perhaps 20-30 minutes before returning to the shade and easier footing of the forest. Young children may struggle in this section; we saw a girl of about age 4 fall down and hurt herself. A few notes: (1) This is a very popular hike; the trailhead parking lot will fill quickly on weekends, but parking on the Mountain Loop Highway seems to be tolerated. I would recommend getting an early start if you want to have a more tranquil experience, something you may appreciate when you get to the lake at the top. We started the hike at 8:00 AM on a good-weather July Saturday and encountered only a handful of other hikers on the ascent, though on the descent we were encountering other hikers at a rate of about one group every minute. (2) Water runs across the trail at numerous locations; do wear waterproof footwear. (3) As alluded to earlier, parts of the trail have uneasy footing; hiking boots may be preferable to athletic shoes. (4) It is a great hiking trail for dogs, perhaps one in three hiking groups has a canine companion. (5) It is very impressive that the Forest Service has constructed so many bridges and boardwalks on the trail. Makes you wonder "how did they do that?".