Pete Lake

The hiking season is just starting: the snow is melting on the mountains and that is revealing the trails underneath. However, that means that most trails still have large stretches of snow, which is not so fun to go through. Fortunately, some are already fully snow free, and yesterday I could check one of them: the trail to Pete Lake.

The lake is in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, on the eastern slope of the Cascades. The trail to get to it is interesting because it's mostly flat, which makes it relatively easy. In addition to that, there are a number of good campsites next to the lake, so many people choose this trail to make their first backpacking trip: it's a great way to get used to carry a full backpack around. And, indeed, yesterday I could see quite a lot of backpackers on the trail and many tents set around the lake.

I noticed something a little bit concerning on this trail, that increased the level of effort needed: I had never seen this many logs on a trail. I had to go up some, go under some, walk around some, and that made the trail harder than you would have imagined. My fear is that there are not enough US Forest Service workers to remove the logs from the trail, which would be a pity, because otherwise this trail would be a really great one for people who cannot take more difficult ones.

Because there is still a lot of snow melting on the mountains, there were lots of water crossing the trail, and I lost track of how many little creeks I walked through (good waterproof boots were essential). Next to the trail there is the Copper River, which looked pristine at this time of the year. Finally, there is Pete Lake itself, with transparent waters sitting on a bowl surrounded by snow peaked mountains. With a very bright sun, everything was shining and the all the summer foliage was intensely green.

In all, it was a great hike, and I'm looking forward to the next ones this season. I have a feeling this is going to be a great 2026!






















Location: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Wenatchee, WA 98807, USA

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