Canyon Lake Trail #797

Canyon Lake Trail #797 is a long-distance hiking route in Glacier Peak Wilderness (Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest). The trip centers on reaching Canyon Lake (21.3 acres) in a steep-walled basin after a climb through the upper Image Lake basin.

A common way to line up the hike is to start at Image Lake, then take Miners Ridge Trail 785 southeast for about 0.4 miles before turning onto Canyon Lake Trail 797. Early on, the route climbs out of the lake basin and traverses back around it.

Route character is primitive and seldom maintained: expect overgrowth and erosion in places, and occasional blowdowns. The trail generally works north-facing slopes of Plummer Mountain, dropping over heathery knolls and contouring along vegetated ridges.

At about 3.5 miles, expect heather benches and small streams as the trail continues its gradual climb toward a saddle near Plummer Mountain’s contouring line. Snow can linger on this route through the summer, and the trail can be harder to track earlier in the season.

From the saddle area, the route drops over heathery terrain and angles down across meadows and talus toward a creek crossing at roughly 5,400 feet. Past that crossing, the route transitions into forest with up-and-down sections before another reach into talus and meadows.

The last stretch emphasizes steep downhill to the lake: the final mile drops rather steeply to Canyon Lake at about 5,050 feet. Expect a climb back out for the return, with the roughest terrain concentrated near the lower, steeper sections.

More information: Conditions, Map, Visitor information