Lake Edna is a freshwater

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

located along Icicle Ridge, approximately 10 miles west of the city of Leavenworth in Chelan County,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. Because of its close proximity to Icicle Ridge Trail, the lake is a popular area for hiking, swimming, and fishing. Lake Alice is a short distance in a prominent

cirque A (; from the Latin word ) is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by Glacier#Erosion, glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from , meaning a pot or cauldron) and ; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform a ...

on the opposite side of Icicle Ridge. Lake Edna sits on a highly

glaciated A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires d ...

and semibarren alpine basin, surrounded by heather and other wildflowers and a coniferous presence primarily

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high la ...

pines. Self-issued Alpine Lake Wilderness permit required for transit within the Lake Edna area. Along with neighboring lakes, Lake Edna was given its name by

Albert Hale Sylvester Albert Hale Sylvester (May 25, 1871 – September 14, 1944) was a pioneer surveyor, explorer, and forest supervisor in the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Washington. He was a topographer for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the ...

, a topographer for the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

working throughout the

North Cascades National Park Complex North Cascades National Park is a national park of the United States in Washington. At more than , it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Complex. North Cascades National Park ...

in the 1900s.

Climate

Avalanche Lake is located in a

hemiboreal Hemiboreal means halfway between the temperate and subarctic (or boreal) zones. The term is most frequently used in the context of climates and ecosystems. Botany A hemiboreal forest has some characteristics of a boreal forest to the north, an ...

climate, part of the

marine west coast An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

climate zone of western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

,Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008. which under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, a subtype for this climate is a "dry-summer subtropical" climate, often referred to as "Mediterranean". The average temperature is 2 °C. The warmest month is August, with an average temperature of 16 °C, and the coldest month is January, at an average of −5 °C. The average rainfall is 1687 millimeters per year. The wettest month is December, with 233 millimeters of rain, and the least in July, with 28 millimeters of rain.

Access

The foot trail starts at the Chatter Creek Trailhead at the end of USFS Road 7609 on the north bank of

Icicle Creek Icicle Creek is a non navigable stream in the U.S. state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. It originates at Josephine Lake near the crest of the Cascade Range and flows generally east to join the Wenatchee River near Leavenworth, Washington ...

. Chatter Creek Trail #1580 is approximately 5.5 miles long and travels fairly closely to the course of Chatter Creek. The trail leads past

Lake Sylvester The Lake Sylvester System comprises a system of ephemeral lakes on the Barkly Tableland of the Northern Territory of Australia about 180 km north-east of Tennant Creek. Description The whole Sylvester system consists of Lakes de Burgh, Sy ...

and Lake Alice reaching and joining Icicle Ridge Trail #1580 on the north skirt of Grindstone mountain. Access to Lake Edna is right off Icicle Ridge Trail to the right (east) of its junction with Chatter Creek Trail. Icicle Ridge Trail shortly afterwards will follow the ridge to Lake Ida on the right and Lake Augusta over the east slope of Big Jim Mountain. Campsites are located along the first few miles of Chatter Creek Trail until the trail becomes more forested around the bowls formed for Lakes Sylvester and Alice. Several campsites are also located around the shore of Lake Augusta, past Lake Edna. Self-issued Alpine Lake Wilderness permit required for transit within the Grindstone Mountain area and can be obtained at the Chatter Creek Trailhead and the Campground past the Guard station.

Alternate routes

Access to Icicle Ridge Trail can also be gained a further distance away by Fourth of July Trail #1579 and from the Icicle Ridge Trailhead off Icicle Road in the city of Leavenworth. Icicle Ridge is also intersected by Hatchery Creek Trail #1577 a short distance from Lake Edna coming from the north. The Hatchery Creek Trailhead is approximately 6 miles from the Icicle Ridge Junction and is located West of Tumwater Campground as Highway 2 crosses over

Wenatchee River The Wenatchee River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, originating at Lake Wenatchee and flowing southeast for , emptying into the Columbia River immediately north of Wenatchee, Washington. On its way it passes the towns of Plain, Le ...

, south of Chiwaukum, Washington. A good part of Hatchery Creek Trail is overgrown by

fireweed ''Chamaenerion angustifolium'' is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family, Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed and in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. It is also known by the synonyms ''Chameri ...

and charred logs remnants of the Hatchery Fire of 1994.

References

{{authority control Lakes of Chelan County, Washington Lakes of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Okanogan National Forest

Climate

Access

Alternate routes

See also

References