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Trip Report    

CHS 1 Hike - Rainbow & Island Lakes

6 of us from CHS-1 had the trifecta of awesomeness: ripe berry picking, an hour for wading, swimming, and socializing at Rainbow Lake, and two less common birds, an American goshawk and a belted kingfisher. What an awesome way to beat Seattle 90's heat.

Courtenay Schurman Courtenay Schurman
August 13, 2025
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • Beware the pothole as you enter the Granite/Pratt parking lot, and also note that there are loose boards across the lower boardwalks as you traverse toward the Talapus/Olallie junction. The trail is in great condition except for the boardwalks (a few loose boards) and the steep section going up toward the ridge into Island/Rainbow (very dry and slick. I used it as a teaching lesson for my students on how to use trekking poles and watch foot placement).

    6 of us from the Mountaineers left the Pratt Lake Trailhead just before 7 on a Tuesday morning. There were 3 others getting day passes from the kiosk. The parking lot had maybe 10-12 cars, most from backpackers at various lakes (including a party of 4 at Island’s main campsite, and another group of 4 women at Rainbow’s main campsite.) On the day we mostly saw backpackers and one other day hiker from Exit 45. 

    I broke the spiderweb trail (narrowly missing a HUGE spider across the trail beyond Granite, we must have been first up that way on the morning) and set a 1.9 mph moving pace which we maintained pretty consistently for the 12.5 miles. 

HIGHLIGHTS:

Berry bushes – blues and huckles bursting with ripe, delicious fruit; look for sunny patches right now; those in the forest still need time to ripen but they are abundant in the Rainbow-Island basin.

American goshawk – it’s been calling off and on since May (this was my 6th trip on this access trail), around mile 2.5. I finally got eyes on it and it’s mature enough for Merlin to be able to identify it. Not sure where the nest is but awesome to see it flying.

Swimming – what a delight. All summer I’ve been wading; this time, two of us made our way across Rainbow Lake at our hour-long break, from 11-noon. Lily pads have yellow flowers, and backpackers were enjoying foraging for berries. We had a lovely breeze and the deep cooling effect of the swim lasted until we made our way up and out of the basin. 15 minutes at Island Lake; the lake level has dropped since spring, and the pollen ring we saw on June 29 is gone.

untitled-5.jpgFall colors: Fall is coming. Maples are already starting to turn, beautiful reds and yellows against a blue sky. One of the reasons I love revisiting lakes in all seasons is to note the changes. Something to enjoy every time I go.

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Afternoon lighting: I’m usually off the trail by 2 to beat rush hour traffic. With the heat and plenty of rest breaks, we got back to the cars by 4:15. The plus side was beautiful late afternoon sun including illuminating spider webs and domes we wouldn’t have otherwise seen.

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Birds: 9 species including the Goshawk as the most unusual.

Mammals: we heard plenty of picas calling, saw one, and spotted a chipmunk and Douglas squirrels as well. I think we had a deer within 100 feet of the parking lot, and I guessed a bear up high poking around (wouldn’t be unusual this time of year) but no visuals on either. Wishful thinking?

2 mph moving pace (6.5 hours moving time) for this 12.6 mile, 3000’ gain outing. One of my most enjoyable of the season. Now if only WDOT can get I-5 traffic under control…