"I would definitely recommend this trip to a friend."
Lake 22 is named after 22 Creek, which flows from the lake onto the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River just east of the Ranger station at Verlot. Apparently, the creek got its name because it's the 22nd creek the old Monte Cristo railroad crossed.
My fiance' and I took this hike on Father's Day of 2001, with nice weather of broken clouds and sun with 65 degree temperatures. This is a very popular trail because it is short (about 3 miles each way) and not too far to drive. Knowing this, we got an early 7:30 start to beat the crowds. This is a beautiful trail that I hadn't been on since my days in Boy Scouts, way back in the dark ages of the '70s, and the trailhead has moved since then, with a large parking area.
This area was set aside for preservation back in the '30s, and the trail starts out gradually uphill through stands of immense oldgrowth fir and cedar, crossing 22 Creek at about 1/2 mile, then starting more sharply uphill. The trail is very well maintained, and passes several waterfalls along the way, then angles up and across a talus slope, finally following along the creek to the mouth of the lake, a fairly short and easy 2 3/4 miles in.
The lake sits in a basin, surrounded by tall peaks, and waterfalls flowed freely from the snowfields at the time we were there. We wandered around the lake and had a snack while we watched the clouds blow past, covering and revealing different views of the surrounding cliffs.
We were nearly alone when we arrived, but on our trip down hoards of people had started up, many of them not properly equipped, wearing tennis shoes, not carrying water or any other emergency supplies, hopelessly out of shape, and a lot of them, since it was Father's Day, had children with them who were much to small to be attempting a hike of this type. Luckily, we made it back to our truck before the trail became too congested. I recommend this trip because it is varied and beautiful, but with the caveat that I also recommend an early start or a weekday trip if you don't want to be surrounded by fellow hikers.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions.
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