"I would probably recommend this trip to a friend."
Two mountain lakes, an easy trail, meadows and wildflowers—all this, and on the dryer east slope, too. The Manastash Lake trail is almost ideal for a family day hike.
Photos: [Top] Lost Lake, and [Bottom] Manastash Lake.
The trail starts out in a clear-cut with eight-foot and taller evergreens. They look like perfect Christmas trees, but with no shade and the dry warmth of the east Cascades, it’s hard to think that far ahead.
In about 15 minutes, the trail forks and the main trail turns left, climbing into the cool shade of mature trees. After rounding a ridge, you’ll level off in a large meadow full of wildflowers, with a view down the valley to the east. Within the hour, at 1.5 miles, you’ll arrive at Lost Lake, a respectable mountain lake with several large campsites on its shore.
Continue along the shore and into the woods again, following a dry overflow outlet. The trail winds 1.5 miles through the forest and crosses a noisy stream, then drops down to the shore of Manastash Lake.
Manastash is considerably larger than Lost Lake. Way trails invite you to explore the entire shoreline, which could take the better part of an afternoon. Or, find a grassy spot in the sun and watch the fish jump.
Spacious campsites are scattered along the shore, each with a well-used fire ring. A nice campsite right at the edge of a mountain lake is a rare find, in these days of fervent riparian protectionism, where 100-foot restrictions are common. There is a trade-off, though. I said this is "almost ideal," not quite, because it’s open to motorcycles. The trail is too short to be of interest to very many of them, though, and those that we met were respectful of us hikers.
Getting there: From I-90 near Ellensburg, turn west on Manastash Road. Now, there are a few ways to do this, depending on how well you know the area, and none of them are direct. One route is to take exit 101 and turn south on Killmore. Turn left on Robinson and right on Cove. About 7.5 miles from the freeway, turn right on Manastash Road. Follow this until it turns into Forest Road 31. As you approach Buck Meadows, 17 miles from Ellensburg, there will be a sign on your left for road 114, leading to the Manastash Lake trailhead parking lot. Northwest Forest Pass required. Dogs are welcome on this trail.
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.