Hiking Mt. Margaret While the Sun Shines

The view from higher ground

Special to The SunBreak by John Hieger

Generally the Margaret Lake trail takes you right there--which is fine if lakes are your thing--but on a clear day, the vistas from a summit always trump the scene from the shore.

If there's a loose philosophy to employ when selecting a hike, it makes sense to save summits for clear days and lakes for those less so. There are people who argue that dipping in a mountain lake is the ultimate payoff on a hot day: I don't agree, for the following reasons:

a) Mountain water, even in the peak of summer is painfully cold. Like jumping in Puget Sound, you get in because swimming sounds fun, you get out to keep your muscles from seizing.

b) Lake hikes aren't without their charms, but since it's cloudy more often than not in these climes, try to preserve view hikes for days when views are actually possible. Put another way, the window for summit views is far shorter, increasing their value (if you want to be a nerd about it).

Instead of hiking the ridge and dropping down the reverse side to the lake below, I decided to keep gaining elevation once reaching the ridgeline and bag the 5,459-foot summit instead, which is actually less work than getting to the lake basin itself.

The real leg work of Mount Margaret is a steady climb through old clearcuts now reclaimed by wild flowers and replanted saplings. The glass half-full crowd marvels over the vegetation and huckleberries on display in this phase, but I tend to think of it as a hot, exposed trudge through a rebounding, butchered forest, all too common along the I-90 corridor.

This portion makes for good exercise and sun, so wear clothing that breathes and bring a couple bottles of water, because skipping the lake means minimal filtration possibilities.

Easy views are for cheaters and dirt bikers, and while this hike gains well less than 2000 feet of elevation, it's still a workout made even more difficult by the exposure to direct light on clear days. Although it's not even five miles roundtrip to the summit, expect to work up a decent sweat.

Eventually the former clearcut gives way to an actual forest of Douglas Fir near the ridgeline, where patches of easily managed snow can linger well into August. Hikers are given the option to descend the ridge's backside to Margaret Lake or head further left to Lake Lillian. I followed the left jog maybe three hundred yards before finding a skimpy side trail that scrambled to the rocky outcroppings above.

After about a quarter mile of tough climbing, two rocky summits become visible, the higher offering excellent views above Snoqualmie Pass--towards the massive granite teeth of 9,415-foot Mt. Stuart, which dominates the horizon to the far east. From Seattle, it takes good eyes or a tall office to see Mt. Si looking eastward; from Ellensburg, there's no mistaking Mt. Stuart when gazing in the opposite direction.

From the summit you can practically spit on the crowded campers who made the journey into the colorful patchwork of blue shapes that define the Alpine Lakes Wilderness far below. To the southwest the unmistakable powder dome of volcano mega-star Mt. Rainier comes into a familiar focus. Mt. Catherine and the unfortunately stumpy Lake Keechelus lie in the immediate foreground, while an easy swivel offers snowy Mt. Daniels, the highest peak in King County, to the north.

In the limited-view season, this trek's vistas offer panoramic stunners you can't get from any highway or chairlift.

Take I-90 east to Exit 54 and head left. Once you pass under the freeway, take a right on the frontage road. Proceed for two and half miles before the road turns into the graveled Forest Service Road No. 4832. Follow 4832 for a mile to an intersection and head left for a short distance to the Lake Margaret and Lillian parking area. The trailhead is a few hundred feet further along the Forest Road.