There is a break in the late spring storm with full sky’s of sun ahead. A great opportunity to get some distance hiking in. And in so doing, I planed to continue my quest along the Iron Horse Trail and pick up where I had left off sense my last adventure.

So from Carter Creek I continued eastward, deeper into the Snoqualmie National Forest enjoying the sites along the way. To be honest, the Iron Horse Trail is not a fun place to hike. The trail bed consisting of hard packed gravel with loose gravel on its surface can be very unforgiving. There is no absorption of shock as you trek along on foot. But, to be fair, it is a great trail for mountain bikers who like to go for the distance.

Along the Iron Horse you will again have an opportunity to view the splendor of the forested mountain range. The snow on the mountain faces is nearly gone, but green is busting out all over. To complement this, the wild flowers are in bloom with vibrant peddles of white, violet, yellow and red. To add to this treat, salmonberry’s are plentiful and have scented the air with there strong aroma.

I took my first break at the avalanche tunnel left there by the railroad and looking up the mountain side, it’s easy to see why. Shortly after the avalanche tunnel is the Annette Lake trailhead. Just as soon as I stepped onto it, I thought, “What a relief to be walking on a forested floor.”

From here, the trail marauders through some very nice old growth areas for your viewing pleasure. As you ascend upward along the trail, you go through a series of switchbacks while still climbing up, up and up again for about two miles from Iron Horse until you reach a avalanche/rock slide area at about 3600 feet. At this point is your first vista of Humpback Mountain cutting across the sky to your right.
 
The trail conditions start to change at this time and you will be rewarded with a more leveling trail. You will be glad of this because it is a hard climb up. As you continue along the trail you will traverse four of five downed trees, but these will not constitute any problem.

Continuing along and I should also add that the trail is in good condition, you will finally come into a clearing in which you will be rewarded with your first view of Annette Lake. At this vista you will stop dead in your tracks and take in the splendor of this wonderful emerald green body of water surrounded by Silver Peak, Abiel Peak and the Humpback Mountains.

Annette Lake is a small lake in which you can gaze it’s splendor with a turn of your head. This lake nestled beneath towering mountains is like an emerald colored punch bowl. Mountain peaks with snow patches of brilliant white offset by the lush green of thick forested trees of cedar. You look at this site and think, “My God! Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to this each morning.” And with that thought I set up camp.

While researching this trail, I discovered that the Boy Scouts of America and the Washington Trails Association developed several campsites along the North to North-East lakeshore and along a bluff overlooking Annette Lake. All the campsites are nestled beneath tall cedar trees with established campfire sites, with logs and boulders to sit on. Each site has access to the lakeshore and a soft forested floor to sleep on. The beauty of these campsites is that each site is out of site of the previous site, thus offering you a greater sense of privacy.

The lake is full of fish, I have seen them from juvenile to adult size Rainbow Trout, all feeding well on the insects of the area. Osprey live in the trees on the opposite shore and you can view them flying about, searching for, diving and acquiring there prey beneath the water surface.

Considering the hard work traversing from the trailhead to the shores of Annette Lake, it is well worth the adventure and once you arrive, I am sure you will agree with me.

To start your adventure just link yourself via the links listed below.

Annette Lake - Carter Creek via Iron Horse Trail - Directions

Annette Lake - Carter Creek via Iron Horse Trail  - Maps

Annette Lake - Carter Creek via Iron Horse Trail - Pictures