CHS 2 Hike - Granite Lakes via Granite Creek

Field trip: Conditioning Hiking Series

CHS 2 Hike - Granite Lakes via Granite Creek

Hike through mixed forests from the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River through the beautiful Granite Creek Valley to two alpine lakes. CHS 2 hike led at a pace of 2.0-3.0 mph.

  • Moderate
  • Moderate
  • Mileage: 10.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 2,270 ft
  • Pace: 2.0-3.0 mph

We will meet in the parking lot at the Granite Creek trailhead @ 7:45 and start hiking at 8:00. 

You will need a Discover Pass to park in the lot.

Directions To the Granite Creek trailhead

From Seattle, drive east on I-90 to exit 34. Turn left onto 468th Ave SE and follow it 0.6 miles to the junction with SE Middle Fork Road. Turn right and follow SE Middle Fork Road.  SE Middle Fork Road will eventually turn into NF-5600.  Stay on this road until you reach a driveway on your right which leads to the Granite Creek trailhead.  ** If you get to the bridge over the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River, you’ve gone too far. **

The trailhead has parking for 37 vehicles (2 disabled spaces). A privy and kiosk with a map are at the parking area. There is overflow parking along FR 56, opposite the trailhead, for 14 vehicles.

6/5/21 Hike

 We will follow the Granite Lakes trail all the way to Granite Lakes.

***Prior to reaching Granite Lakes, we’ll add a little mileage (to get the June minimum - 10 mi hike) by hiking  < 1 mile toward Thompson Lake (Thompson Point trail) before turning around and heading back towards Granite Lakes.

We will eat our lunch down at Granite Lakes.

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Weather info, North Bend

See weather forecast

Additional information

Granite Lakes are situated in between Revolution Peak and Mailbox Peak, and the hike offers incredible views away from the busy Interstate 90. This hike is not very popular, though it is very scenic because the well-maintained trail follows Granite Creek all the way up to its source Granite Lake. 

The trail starts out with a heavy incline, but it quickly levels off. There are benches placed at the beginning of the hike along with a few more about a half mile in. At 1.25 miles there is a connector trail coming from the left. Continue to the left, following the signs to Granite Lake. From here you can follow Granite Creek the rest of the way to the lakes. At 1.75 miles there is a new bridge that was put in by helicopter in 2015, and some remnants of the old bridge are still visible in the creek bellow. 

Since the trail was recently redone, the majority of the trail is relatively dry with only a few stream crossings. The stream crossings start at about 2 miles in with crossing around eight different tributary streams, none of which are very deep. At just under 3 miles in you can begin to see the gorge open up with Mailbox Peak to the right. There is a fork in the trail a half mile from the lake; left leads to Thompson Lake, and the right leads to Granite Lakes. Just before reaching the lake, there is a small, flat boulder field that will lead to a fantastic view of the lake. 

COVID-19

Please remember to follow all of the required COVID protocols. You must have the required face covering (mask, neck gaiter, bandana) and hand sanitizer in your possession to participate in this hike. The face covering must be able to cover the mouth and nose when we pass close to others. Be prepared to step off the trail or turn outward when passing other hikers and maintain social distancing. Carpooling is limited to household members.

The most updated Covid information can be found here:

https://www.mountaineers.org/membership/the-mountaineers-covid-19-response

Route/Place

Granite Creek Trail


Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

Ten Essential Systems

  1. Navigation (map & compass)
  2. Sun protection (sunglasses & sunscreen)
  3. Insulation (extra clothing)
  4. Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
  5. First-aid supplies
  6. Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candle)
  7. Repair kit and tools
  8. Nutrition (extra food)
  9. Hydration (extra water)
  10. Emergency shelter (tent/plastic tube tent/garbage bag)
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