Revision as of 18:17, 11 January 2021

View to Peggy Lake, Basin Lakes (bobcat)

Wilderness sign on silver fir, Gifford Peak Way (bobcat)

"Gillian Lake," Basin Lakes (bobcat)

"Cindy Lake," Basin Lakes (bobcat)

The fiery slopes of Berry Mountain in the fall (bobcat)

The loop described, using the old route of the Pacific Crest Trail (bobcat)

• Start point: Thomas Lake Trailhead
• End Point: Junction lake
• Distance: 8.5 miles
• Hike type: Lollipop loop
• Elevation gain: 1065 feet
• High Point: 4,910 feet
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Seasons: Summer to mid-fall
• Family Friendly: No
• Backpackable: Yes
• Crowded: On the Thomas Lake Trail

Hike Description

This hike treats you to some of the best country in Indian Heaven. You’ll enter the wilderness via the popular Thomas Lake Trail and hike past a string of mountain lakes. To begin the loop option, you head east on an abandoned trail to connect with an abandoned section of the Pacific Crest Trail before ending up at Junction Lake. From there, you’ll head south on the current Pacific Crest Trail, rerouted higher to take hikers and horses out of the meadows. You’ll pass through a section of the 2017 East Crater Fire before rejoining the Thomas Lake Trail at Blue Lake and heading back to your vehicle.

At the trailhead, there’s a wilderness permit station and a boot brush. There’s also a map which shows the locations of designated campsites in the areas of Thomas Lake, Eunice Lake, and Blue Lake.

This well-traveled trail ascends a series of erosion steps in secondary woodland. As you get higher, you can look back to get a partial view of Mount Saint Helens. Soon, however, you’ll enter montane forest with a canopy of mountain hemlock, silver fir, and noble fir. The trail switchbacks and proceeds on the level through an open huckleberry understory. Soon after passing the wilderness sign, you’ll see Dee Lake on your left. A trail to the right leads to designated campsites around Thomas Lake, a large body of water that stretches south from trail. (See the Thomas Lake Hike for a description of the loop leading around Thomas Lake.) Heather Lake soon appears on your left, and a footbridge takes you across the little draw that connects it with Thomas Lake. Continue on the Thomas Lake Trail after passing a sign for the designated campsites on the east shore of Thomas Lake.

The trail soon reaches the Thomas Lake-Eunice Lake Trail Junction at the base of a slope. Bear left to visit Eunice Lake, passing a small tarn on the left. Eunice Lake is a quiet lake nestled below a mossy talus slope in deep forest. Return to the main trail, and wind up to switchback and reach the top of a rise. The trail levels, and you’ll get a glimpse left to the snowy summit of Mount Rainier. After crossing an extended turnpike, you’ll get a view to Mount Saint Helens through the trees (you can leave the trail to get a better view). Pass across a typical Indian Heaven meadow, where blueberry clumps turn crimson in the fall. Cross a couple of boardwalks to reenter the forest. A creek runs to the left of the trail, which soon begins to rise. After you see a small lake off to the left, look for a path leading up and then steeply down to rarely-visited Brader Lake. There’s a single backcountry campsite on the peninsula that juts into Brader Lake.

The trail keeps rising, and a spur leads right to a small, unnamed lake. Switchback at a talus slope, and ascend more steeply to switchback again to get a fuller view of Mount Rainier. The trails then winds gradually down past Naha Lake on the right. The burned slopes of East Crater loom ahead as you enter an open meadow to reach a multi-signed junction. Here, the Thomas Lake Trail makes a sharp right, while a section of the old Cascade Crest Trail heads off to the north (see the Acker Lake Loop Hike).

You’re going to keep straight, however, to reach picturesque Rock Lake in its open meadow. You can find a trail leading around the north shore of the lake to reach an obvious track heading straight towards East Crater. Keep heading west through a spot burn, and pass a shallow lake on the right. Drop to a meadow, where you’ll reach the junction with the former route of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Make a left here to start heading northeast to pass through a copse of conifers and reach another meadow. Pass over a forested ridge in a carpet of bear-grass; the trail is unmaintained, so you will be stepping over a few downed trees. The next meadow is rapidly becoming ingrown with young trees, and you’ll pass a couple of gnarly old mountain hemlocks at a grassy tarn. The trail bends right and rises before dropping to offer a glimpse of the top of Lemei Rock. In a small meadow, you reach the current route of the Pacific Crest Trail at Junction Lake.

After exploring around Junction Lake, head south on the Pacific Crest Trail into a montane slope forest, passing the Pacific Crest-East Crater Trail Junction. The trail traverses the west slope of East Crater. At a break in the trees, you’ll catch a glimpse of Sawtooth Mountain to the north and then later of Mount Saint Helens. Note also some large mountain hemlocks and noble firs. The trail begins to drop along the edge of the 2017 East Crater Burn, where bear-grass and false hellebore bloom in the summer. The PCT then switchbacks to leave the burn area, and wind down a slope where several conifers were toppled in a September 2020 windstorm. Soon, you’ll see Blue Lake and come to the junction with the Thomas Lake Trail.

To complete the loop, take the Thomas Lake Trail above the shore of Blue Lake. The rugged north face of Gifford Peak looms above the lake, and short spur trails lead to the shore. The trail rises to reach Lake Sahalee Tyee on the right, where a spur leads to the only designated campsite. Past this lake, the trail continues rises, with a gully on the right, to cross a creek at the head of the gully. Pass a linear meadow and then a tarn. At the tarn, you’ll see the former route of the Pacific Crest Trail heading north to join the section you took to reach Junction Lake. Next, on your left you’ll pass a couple of shallow lakes. Just behind the screen of trees behind these two lakes is Lake Umtux. The Thomas Lake Trail crosses a couple of rock-filled creeks to enter a meadow and reach the Thomas Lake-Rock Lake-Cascade Crest Trail Junction and close the loop. Turn left here to return to the trailhead.

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• Green Trails Maps: Wind River, WA #397 and Lone Butte, WA #365
• Indian Heaven (USFS)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Adams Wilderness, Indian Heaven Wilderness, Trapper Creek Wilderness
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Adams Ranger District
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Gifford Pinchot National Forest
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount St. Helens - Mt. Adams

Fees, Regulations, etc.

• Northwest Forest Pass required
• Self-issued wilderness permit
• Outhouse, picnic table, boot brush at trailhead
• $2 toll at Bridge of the Gods each way
• Near Thomas Lake and Blue Lake, camp at designated sites only

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Thomas Lake-Junction Lake Loop

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Thomas Lake-Junction Lake Loop

Guidebooks that cover this destination

• Indian Heaven Back Country by Mel Hansen
• Hiking the Gifford Pinchot Backcountry by the Columbia Group Sierra Club

More Links

• Trail #111 Thomas Lake (USFS)
• Wilderness: Indian Heaven (USFS)

Page Contributors

• bobcat (creator)