Martin Lake–Heart of the Golden Lakes
Quick Facts:
Location: Methow Valley, WA
Distance: 13.4 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 2300 feet
Contact: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Methow Valley Ranger District
Maps: Green Trails Methow Valley 51SX
Recommended Guidebook: Day Hiking North Cascades (Mountaineers Books)
Notes: trail open to motorcycles
Trailhead directions: From Twisp drive south on SR 153 and turn right onto Gold Creek Loop Road. Then turn right onto County Road 1034 and in 1 mile come to a junction. Continue straight onto Forest Road 4340 for 5.6 miles (pavement ends at 4 miles). Then turn left onto FR Spur 300 and follow this rough-at-times road 4.5 miles to the trailhead.
Good to Know: dog-friendly, wildflowers, exceptional autumn foliage, backpacking opportunities
One of the famed Golden Lakes (dubbed by pioneer guidebook author Harvey Manning for the larches that profusely grow in the region), Martin sees a fraction of the visitors that nearby Cooney, Eagle and Crater receive. Tucked in a larch-ringed cirque on 8376-foot Martin Peak, Martin Lake is still quite grand even if less known than its neighbors. Better chances to enjoy larch madness here without crowding madness.
Start your hike on the Eagle Lakes Trail and follow for 2.3 miles a junction. Now head left on the Martin Creek Trail and descend to Eagle Creek. Rock hop across or ford the creek and steadily climb. Pass a collapsed cabin and some good views through the forest to the Methow Valley. Then traverse cool spruce groves following Martin Creek upstream. After a couple of switchbacks come to a junction at 6.2 miles.
Veer right and climb reaching the broad basin housing Martin Lake in a half mile. The lake is pretty shallow and grassy in spots. Perfect habitat for a wide array of amphibians, fishes, and insects—and the birds that prey on them. Look for nesting eagles and ospreys nearby. There are good camps too in the larch forest that surrounds the lake. These deciduous conifers streak Martin Peak’s gray rocky and craggy slopes gold come late September. A boot beaten path continues along the lake’s north shore for about a quarter mile to a small upper Martin Lake.
For more details on this hike and 135 others in Skagit, Whatcom and Okanogan Counties, pick up a copy of my Day Hiking North Cascades 2nd edition (Mountaineers Books).
