Spectacle Lake is an alpine freshwater

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...

located on the northern skirt of Chikamin Peak and

Lemah Mountain Lemah Mountain is a mountain peak in the ''Snoqualmie Crest'', a part of the North Cascades Mountains, of the Washington state. It is located approximately from Snoqualmie Pass. Most noted for its five distinct summits, its name, ''Lemah'', c ...

in Kittitas County on its western border with

King County, Washington King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the List of the most populous counties ...

. Because of its proximity to surrounding peaks and mountains at the heart of the

Alpine Lakes Wilderness The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is a large wilderness area spanning the Central Cascades of Washington state in the United States. The wilderness is located in parts of Wenatchee National Forest and Snoqualmie National Forest, and is approximately bo ...

, the lake is a popular area for hiking, camping and fishing

cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout is a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus ''Oncorhynchus'', it is one of the Pacific ...

. Other Alpine lakes are in the vicinity, including the

Chikamin Lake Chikamin Lake is a small alpine freshwater lake located on the northern skirt of Chikamin Peak and Lemah Mountain in King County, Washington. Because of its proximity to surrounding peaks and mountains at the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, ...

, a short distance North, at the base of Chikamin Peak. To the South is

Hibox Mountain Hibox Mountain is a mountain summit located in the Cascade Range in Kittitas County of Washington state. It is situated within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on land managed by Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The mountain's name "Hibox" is ...

Location

Spectacle Lake is located northeast of

Snoqualmie Pass Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 (I-90) through the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. The pass summit is at an elevation of , on the county line between Kittitas County and King County. Snoqualmi ...

and The Summit at Snoqualmie. The trailhead is at Gold Creek Pond on the North shore of

Keechelus Lake Keechelus Lake () is a lake and reservoir in the northwest United States, near Hyak in Kittitas County, Washington. Approximately southeast of Seattle and a few miles southeast of Snoqualmie Pass, it is the source of the Yakima River. Keechel ...

and South of

on Interstate 90. It is situated within the

, on land managed by the

Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest The Okanogan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Okanogan County in north-central Washington, United States. The forest is bordered on the north by British Columbia, on the east by Colville National Forest, on the south by the ...

Access

Spectacle Lake is by routes to Chikamin Ridge. The

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

snakes north and south of Chikmain Ridge. Access is also reached by way of Mineral Creek Trail, or the much shorter trail that starts from the trailhead near Owhi Campground at Cooper Lake. Cooper Lake is stoked is stocked annually with several species of trout fish. Cooper Lake leads to a relatively flat trail up to highly trafficked Pete Lake, four miles away. The trail borders the north shore of Pete Lake, approximately one mile from Pete Lake is Lemah Creek within the Lemah Meadows. The trail crosses to join the Pacific Crest Trail 2000.6, the location of the Lemah Creek fire of 2009, ending on the main Pacific Crest Trail 2000. The trails are located through several switchbacks and creek crossings, including Delate Creek over a large wooden bridge.

Climate

Spectacle Lake is located in a hemiboreal climate, part of the

marine west coast An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

climate zone of western North America.Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008. 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 −8 °C. The average rainfall is 2687 millimeters per year. The wettest month is December, with 396 millimeters of rain, and the least in July, with 38 millimeters of rain.

References

{{authority control Lakes of Washington (state) Lakes of Kittitas County, Washington

Location

Access

Climate

See also

References