May 16, 2025
Mt. Stuart from Ingalls Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, 2001.
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Mt. Stuart from Ingalls Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, 2001.
Ingalls Lake and Mt. Stuart, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, 2005.
Perhaps the most ethereal place available on an overnight or even day hike from Seattle!
Leslie Schaaf, 63, spent 11 days this past August walking through the Alpine Lakes from Stevens to Snoqualmie Pass on the PCT. Thank you, Leslie, for responding to our call for photos of beautiful Washington. The top photo is of cold and windy Spectacle Lake near Chikamin Ridge. This area is rather notorious for inclement weather as the moist, cool air driven from the Puget Sound collects along the Cascades before dissipating in the much drier air further east.
Looking north to the ridgeline above Waptus Lake, the pinnacle of distant Mt. Stuart (9,416′) can be seen on the right hand of the ridge. Although not so impressive from this far away, Fred Beckey (author of the Cascade Alpine Guide) says that Mt. Stuart is "without a rival as the crown peak in the central Cascades of Washington.” He continues, “Mount Stuart has been pronounced the single greatest mass of exposed granite in the United States.”
Cathedral Rock at a little more than 6,400′ is not particularly tall but is a dominant feature in the northern section of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Cathedral Pass is about 800′ feet below Cathedral Rock.
We never get enough of these images from the Central Washington Cascades. Thank you Leslie.
Mt. Stuart from Summit of Ingalls Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, 2001.
Mt. Stuart From Ingalls Lake, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, 2005.
On days I am “down,” thoughts of this ethereal scene come to mind and make me feel better. While it was a rather long drive to and from the trailhead, this was one of my favorite day hike destinations when we lived in Seattle. There cannot be anything much better than having a picnic by Ingalls Lake on a lovely summer afternoon.
Wildlife: Mountain Sheep near Ingalls Pass, Wenatcnee National Forest, 2005.
I could not resist putting this up after this morning receiving on Tumblr a great photo of two little boys at almost the same spot. It is one of the most ethereal “almost heaven” destinations for hiking anywhere near Seattle.
Mt. Stuart and Ingalls Lake, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, 2005.