A few years ago, the last two miles of road to Blanca Lake washed out, and all of a sudden an already tedious hike, jam packed with switchbacks through monotonous forest, became 4 miles longer. BUT there’s a silver lining to this story! First, while those extra miles consist of boring road hiking, they are also relatively flat and tend to fly by. Second, and more importantly, those extra 4 miles seem to deter a lot of people from doing this once extremely popular hike. I’m not saying you’ll have Blanca Lake all to yourself, but I’ve noticed a pretty significant decrease in the number of people on the trail since the road closure.

What makes Blanca Lake unique is its color. Unlike the crystal clear alpine lakes you find throughout most of Washington, Blanca Lake features eye catching milky blue water. The water’s milky appearance is caused by glacial erosion.

Pro Tip: Get to the trailhead early, then spend the warmest part of the day swimming and soaking in the sun on the rocks around the lake.

Distance: 8 miles Elevation Gain: 2300 feet Difficulty: Difficult