This "trail" is only for hikers experienced in cross-country navigation. These three small lakes are so delicate that the Forest Service declared the trail "unmaintained" and let it go. (In my opinion, this is a wise management technique and it should be employed in many places throughout the ALW, instead of expensive permit systems.) This was never much of a trail in the first place. I've been going there for years, and I still take a map and compass.
Photo: Boulder juts out from the shore of middle Kendall Peak Lake.
The hike begins with a mile of dirt logging road across private timber company (Plum Creek Timber?) land. At the first big switchback, leave the road and go straight up the embankment into the woods. Take a deep breath...your next mile is straight up. You'll come to the lower lake, in a marshy meadow surrounded by wildflowers, in season. And bugs--lots and lots of bugs.
Continue up another half mile or so, and you come to the middle lake, a deep one surrounded by forest and boulders. Large Firs, swept onto the frozen pond in winter by avalanches, lie submerged in the clear water. This is a great place for lunch or camp.
The third lake is directly below the summit of Kendall Peak. The lake is set in a steep-walled hole, bordered on one side by a scree slope, and on the other side by trees and shrubs. The faint sound of trucks on the interstate echoes off the mountain's granite walls. On the other side of the mountain is the Kendall Katwalk.
Getting there: Drive I-90 to the Hyak exit and go north (not east) a short way to a gate. Park near here, not blocking the road. (If you park inside the gate, you run a small but unfortunate risk of finding it locked when you try to leave.)
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.