Pets allowed
Allowed
Elevation Gain
1,780.00 ft (542.54 m)
Trail type
There-and-back
Distance
8.60 mi (13.84 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

While Barclay Lake is a commonly visited destination, far fewer hikers brave the extra 2 miles to Eagle Lake. Nestled under the slopes of Mount Townsend and the rocky face of Merchant Peak, the lake offers camping spots as well as an abandoned trapper's cabin if you wish to make this an overnight trip. The lake plays host to a large number fish, so you may even be able to catch your dinner.

The first 2 miles to Barclay Lake are very gentle, staying low in the valley for an elevation gain of only 200 feet. Near the far end of the lake just past the second toilet sign, an inconspicuous trail turns left up the slope toward Eagle Lake. The trail is steep and heads straight up with minimal switchbacks, gaining 1,500 feet in just over a mile. It starts in dense forest then heads across a talus slope where wayfinding becomes challenging. Keep an eye out for cairns, which mark a faint path over and around the large rocks; these eventually lead to a grove of yellow cedars and hemlocks where the trail becomes clear again. Here you will get a reprieve from the climbing at Stone Lake before continuing up one last ridge.

After a final ascent, the trail heads down to Paradise Meadow, full of wildflowers, butterflies and streams. Traverse this muddy section with care, and you will find Eagle Lake just beyond the meadow with Merchant Peak towering behind it. Another trail (Fisherman's Trail) to Paradise Meadow and Eagle Lake is available, though the road to the trailhead is rougher.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

Low

Pros

Wildflowers. Lakeside camping.

Cons

Trail hard to follow.

Trailhead Elevation

2,220.00 ft (676.66 m)

Features

Backcountry camping
Shelters
Wildflowers
Fishing

Typically multi-day

No

Permit required

No

Location

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Comments

06/07/2017
I pretty much made an account just to give you a heads up.

There are two toilet signs, you want to go just past the second one and trail is on your left (lake on your right). The trail gets tricky because it looks like there were three different people setting them up. Trail #1 ==> cairns, Trail #2 ==> Yellow Tape, Trail #3 ==> Pink Tape. However they all crisscross their way up the mt.

Still snow up there and while we made it to stone lake we didn't quite make it to Eagle Lake
10/21/2016
I could not find the connecting trail. I also only saw one restroom sign along the trail. I walked back and forth multiple times. If anyone could provide more information as t where the connecting trail from Barclay Lake is that would be awesome!
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