Trip report by: Denis Du Bois
"I would probably recommend this trip to a friend."
From previous hikes into the Norse Peak Wilderness, I knew this would be a beautiful hike with green meadows and high ridges. I also knew the trail would be rough and churned up by heavy horse use. It's definitely a trade-off for hikers.
This trail has been lengthened over the years, made less steep in places, probably to make it easier for the horses, so the mileage in older guidebooks might be less than actual. The long, almost level switchbacks invite the horsemen to shortcut them on the descent, cutting new vertical trails, some a hundred feet or longer. Hikers, who are constantly preached to about respecting the trail, and have to slog through the stink and deep mud or dust churned by hooves, also have to look at the gullies caused by shortcutting horsemen.
Don't let my disgust with horsemen disuade you from making this hike. The trail follows a ridge with views of Fifes Peaks on the right and the valley to the left. It's about 4 miles to a high, open pass overlooking the valley where Highway 410 crosses from Mt. Rainier to Yakima. The remaining 4 miles to Crow Creek Lake are easy downhill trail. It passes through forest, basins and meadows along the way.
There are possible camps all along the way, starting at about 2 miles. There are excellent camps (but horse camps) at about 4.5 miles and beyond, including side trails to small lakes. Crow Creek Lake is an unusual lake for the Cascades, a shallow body of water in the middle of a marsh about five times its size. You really can't walk up to the shore of this lake, without wading. There are campsites in the woods along the edge of this marsh. We picked one on the south side, out of view of the lake, with a small stream, and large trees to protect us from the impending rainstorm.
The next morning, we day-hiked around the marsh (the trail swings southwest and crosses Crow Creek, then returns to the north side of the marsh) to Crow Creek Lake. The streams were high, with easy fords for the horses, but some of the larger ones had no hiker crossings. We waded or bushwhacked upstream to find logs. I manged to slip off a log and fall headfirst into Crow Creek, which was (lucky for me) about 4 feet deep. Uninjured, I swam to shore and tried to save my camera from drowning, but it was too late.
Crow Creek Trail actually doesn't go to the lake--a side trail called the Cougar Valley Trail does. Crow Creek Trail continues to the south side of Crystal Mountain Ski Resort, where it joins the road again. This is about where Adam and I started our hike to Big Crow Basin (miles away; I guess there are a lot of crows around here).
Getting there: The trailhead we used is on Highway 410 east of Chinook Pass. There is another trailhead at Crystal.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. Any trail can become very dangerous in winter conditions. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions. Please read Terms of Use.