Swimming Holes of Washington by Anna Katz

Author:Anna Katz
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781680510003
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Published: 2018-07-27T16:00:00+00:00

About an hour’s drive from the greater Seattle area, Mason Lake can be either a half-day hike or a backcountry camping destination. Come early—this is a popular hike. It can get a little muddy near the lake, so leave your favorite suede Top-Siders at home. If you want to camp in the backcountry, get a free overnight wilderness permit at the trailhead.

The gravel parking lot has a fair number of parking spots, but as early morning turns into midmorning and the spots fill up, people tend to park on the side of the road. If you arrive late, be satisfied with parking behind the car in front of you—there’s no rock-star parking here, because the road is wide enough for only one car. If you try to get closer, you might meet some cars trying to exit and end up having to back out all the way.

The Ira Spring Trail starts off easy. Initially it’s soft and flat, which your knees will surely appreciate on the way back down, and wide enough to walk three abreast. At 0.8 mile, you come to a bridge over a waterfall on Mason Creek, where the grade starts to pick up, and soon you cross into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. From here, this hike becomes fairly steep. You walk under birch trees, with occasional gaps overhead that let in the sun. Every opportunity for open viewing is worth taking, so pause to check out the forests in the distance. Starting at 1.6 miles, there’s a 1.3-mile stretch where you have to walk over and around good-size rocks.

Once you get above the tree line, some switchbacks lead up, to the top of a ridge at 2.9 miles. You might miss the view from here on the way up since it will be behind you to the south, but on the way down, it is impossible to ignore: Mount Rainer in the distance, but from a vantage point that’s more on the same level as the massive mountain than the one we’re used to from the lowlands. It’s really quite stunning. Near the top of the ridge, the trail to the right traverses along Bandera Mountain, but stay left to reach Mason Lake.

After the crest, it’s about 0.5 mile down through, to quote a friend, “a gosh-darn wonderland.” There is much shade from the fir trees, a nice break after the sun- and wind-exposed climb you’ve just accomplished. Be prepared to climb over or under a couple fallen logs. There’s a little waterfall with large stepping-stones to navigate at the beginning of the clearing. And then: many choices.

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