Difference between revisions of "Heart Lake Hike"
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
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===Guidebooks that cover this destination === | ===Guidebooks that cover this destination === | ||
| + | * ''Day Hiking Mount Adams and Goat Rocks'' by Tami Asars | ||
* ''Washington's South Cascades Volcanic Landscapes'' by Marge and Ted Mueller | * ''Washington's South Cascades Volcanic Landscapes'' by Marge and Ted Mueller | ||
* ''Best Short Hikes in Washington's South Cascades & Olympics'' by E.M. Sterling & Ira Spring | * ''Best Short Hikes in Washington's South Cascades & Olympics'' by E.M. Sterling & Ira Spring | ||
Revision as of 22:10, 21 September 2014
- Start point: Hellroaring Meadows Trailhead
- Ending Point: Heart Lake
- Trail Log:
- Hike Type: In and out
- Distance: 2.0 miles
- Elevation gain: 150 feet
- High Point: 5,380 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: Mid-summer into Fall
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
Contents |
Hike Description
On Yakama Nation land and part of the Mt. Adams Recreation Area, Heart Lake is a small forest lake at the site of a former glacial icefall at the east end of Hellroaring Meadows. Little Mount Adams looms above the lake and is reflected in its still waters. A wall of andesite just west of the lake is sometimes used by climbers. The Hellroaring Meadows Trail leads one mile in to the lake.
From the trailhead, keep on a gentle or level gradient as you head into the glacial valley of Hellroaring Creek. The forest here is dominated by mountain hemlock with a huckleberry understory. Pass above a boggy meadow and mossy creek as you continue up the western side of the valley. At a talus slope squeaking with pikas, a large spring issues to feed the creek. The trail veers right here into a parkland of conifers and wet meadows blooming with lovage, groundsel, lupine, paintbrush, and heliotrope in summer. Come to a short section of trail paved with stones and then make a log crossing of a branch of Hellroaring Creek. Walk across a boggy meadow and then rise up a little slope to reach the shore of Heart Lake, a dark little expanse reflecting the cinder cone of Little Mount Adams rearing above.
On the north side of the lake, a short use trail leads to the top of the 100-foot tumbling cascade of Hellroaring Creek Falls that spills over a former icefall area in the days when this was a glacier-filled valley.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- $1 toll bridge each way at Hood River
- $5 five-day pass for Tract D (Mt. Adams Recreation Area)
Maps
- Green Trails Maps: Mount Adams, WA #367S
- Yakama Nation: Mount Adams Recreation Area Overview
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Adams Wilderness, Indian Heaven Wilderness, Trapper Creek Wilderness
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Adams Ranger District
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Heart Lake Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Heart Lake Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Day Hiking Mount Adams and Goat Rocks by Tami Asars
- Washington's South Cascades Volcanic Landscapes by Marge and Ted Mueller
- Best Short Hikes in Washington's South Cascades & Olympics by E.M. Sterling & Ira Spring
More Links
- Heart Lake Hike (Northwest Hiker)
- Hellroaring Meadows Trail and Heart Lake (Flora Northwest)
- Yakama Nation Mt. Adams Recreation Area
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)