Blanca Lake - Road Washout No Deterrent For This Fantastic Hike To Paradise!!!

Blanca Lake is definitely one of the more popular hikes in the the beautiful Cascade mountains - a hidden gem tucked in a taste of mountain wilderness paradise attracts exploring souls from all over the globe and all walks of life.  All easy to understand when the hike in is over and you're sitting lakeside admiring the views.

The charm brings the crowds, however, which means those that enjoy the solitude of a mountain hike probably won't find it in Blanca.  The amount of cars parked on the side of the road provide a hint of this hike's popularity, especially considering that the closed access road to the trailhead adds an extra four miles to the hike (round trip) and has a few would-be hikers hesitant to undertake the mileage.

For those that do - and no one should be deterred by the extra road-walking miles - can expect a steady incline to the ridge from the trailhead, with few areas of flat hiking to rest.

Endless switchbacks dominate your day until reaching the ridge-line, where you get a chance to recoup on a flat stretch or two before passing Virgin Puddle and heading straight downhill towards the blue-green glacier-fed lake.  A true sight to behold.

There's a great little beach area around the lake, filled in with a bunch of drift logs to chill out on and eat lunch and rest - and they also serve as a launching pad for those willing to tak the cold plunge into the chilling waters.

There's little chance that the Blanca Lake road washout will be prepared any time soon.  There are three washout spots - must have been one helluva flood - and the second one pretty much wiped the road away with little chance of an easy repair.  Paths have been created for hikers to circumvent the washouts and the road walk should be considered more of a leisurely stroll than a hike - no worries about tiring yourself out before hitting the meat of the trail

One of the area's best hikes, for sure.  On scale with Colchuck (maybe my personal favorite) and it's definitely worth the toil and effort of getting to the lake and back. 

Don't let the road washout intimidate you. 

Also - the WTA website is a bit off on their round-trip estimate even without considering the washout.  Count on about 13-14 miles (depending on where you park on 65) and about 2 hours and 45 minutes of climb time at a decent pace (give or take fitness level and rest).  Three hours is a good barometer, but I noticed a couple of parties with large packs took about 3.5 to 4 hours before arriving lakeside while some are up in 2.5 or a little less.

View the video below to follow the hike, enjoy the lake views and feel that chilling cold water.

Enjoy this mountain paradise!!

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