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Trip Report    

CHS 2 Hike - Ridge & Gravel Lakes

7 of us from CHS-2 enjoyed a 45-minute lunch break and swim in Ridge Lake, the highlight of everyone's adventure. Lots of "wow" moments on this hike: Rainier, ski resort, Stuart, Red Mountain, marmots, picas... and BERRIES!

Courtenay Schurman Courtenay Schurman
August 27, 2025
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • I’m always impressed with the conditions of the PCT, and this trip was no exception. Parking lot had adequate parking when we arrived at 6:30 on a Tuesday, the latrine was fully stocked and clean, and one party of two started up just before us. A Northwest Forest Pass is required.

    The trail is in fantastic shape with only a few duck-unders or step-across; I'm guessing from the sheer volume of through- or section-hikers that the PCT gets priority for maintenance. Clean, comfortable footing in the woods, even on the talus slopes footing is as good as can be expected. We found the Kendall Peak trail -- going straight up - and noted it for a future outing.

    Bonus: coming back through Seattle (left at 4:15) traffic was a dream northbound on I-5. 

Our average pace was 2.2 mph on the day, 6:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. with views of Rainier, Red Mountain, Mt. Stuart and more. AQI was a bit on the higher side (55/yellow) which resulted in a bit of haze, but nowhere near as hot as it’s been the past few days. We moved the departure time up half an hour and were so glad to have done so! The boulder fields can cook you in full sun; I went through 5 liters of water during our 15-mile adventure with 45 minutes at the lake and 2 mid-length refueling breaks heading up and down.

Most of the foot traffic was trail runners (what do they do for water?? We each went through over a gallon apiece!) and PCT through-hikers who started anywhere from March 21-late April. It’s inspiring to see how light they travel.

Berries are abundant, picas were out sunning and calling, and we spotted a pair of marmots at Gravel Lake with the place all to themselves, as well as a few frogs in shallow pools near the lakes. Fall migration has begun; we only had 13 species including steller's jays, Canada jays, some robins and ravens, and the usual residents (Chestnut-backed chickadees, golden-crowned kinglets, red-breasted nuthatches, juncos, and Pacific wrens) among them.

It looked like more people visit Ridge Lake, with its shady east shore (at least from 11-11:45 a.m.) All 7 of us enjoyed the inviting water including 3 swimmers. We made our way down to Gravel Lake after lunch, but there isn’t much shade and nowhere near as many people visiting, despite numerous social trails. Big steps and multiple dead ends may deter most from even trying.

For as many people as travel this trail, I only picked up one part of a discarded candy bar wrapper. Bravo PCT travelers – Kendall Katwalk gets my clean trail award!

We spotted only a handful of dogs on this hot day, including a well-behaved Doberman and a struggling German shepherd named Belle who had us all worried when her back legs gave out on her several times, in the shade. I hope trail angels helped her reach one of the lakes safely with back legs intact and minimal pain. First horse on the trail about .25 miles from the trailhead.

No bugs anywhere, and the only snow patches were north-facing slopes far from the trail. There is no running water between about mile 4 and Ridge/Gravel Lakes so plan accordingly with your water supply. Enjoyable trip. Having trouble uploading photos so I'll have to circle back...