Upper Pierce Lake via Pierce Lake Trail

The trail is beautiful, grinding you here and there, when you come to the lower lake you can see it through the woods, I was going to the upper lake so I didn’t stop to get a good view of the lake , around 1 km farther you come out of the forest into a field of wildflowers ,the lake and mountains all around you , I had to go back in the forest and come back out again , it was so beautiful, continuing farther up the trail the views just get better and better . I would guess around two and a half km between the two lakes, Your reward a beautiful lake and mountains all around Be sure to bring hiking poles , they will help your stability , and your joints will thank you, you go from 2 wheel drive to 4x4 I just wanted to say that because they have made hiking so much easier for me . Ok have fun on your hike, leave early so you can enjoy day and maybe a dip

Awesome hike, there is a couple cliff jumping spots where I say would be about 10-30 feet at upper lake. I jumped August 30th and I was not to cold. Good place to camp and huck some flips!

The descent makes this the hardest trail I've done. The ascent is a grind, but do-able (think: consecutive Grouse Grinds). After lower Pierce, the trail opens up to a field of wildflowers (at the time of writing: Aug 30) and a spectacular view of the lake. From here, the trail gets really fun and interesting: stream crossings, a little scrambling, some ropes to assist the treacherous parts. There are some open fields of broken shale, and I found this to be the most challenging. My ankles and feet were very sore, and I was tentative with my steps because the rocks were unstable. At the time of writing, there was no snow. Once you reach Upper Pierce, you are rewarded with the most picturesque, idyllic, magnificent little lake! It really is the "hidden lake" of your dreams! Of note: though sunny and clear, the wind picked up and we were chilled to the bone. We were prepared enough to stay 30 minutes, but had to hit the trail to head back down (we did out/back in one day). I had visions of jumping in the lake when we left, but the wind would have made it very difficult to warm again. If you are fantasizing about jumping in, make sure you have a space blanket (and a tent, and a fire going, and and and :-) The descent here is my primary reason for writing this review. "REALLY HARD" would be how I describe it? My knees were screaming and every step down was just so painful. I will note, we were passed many times by very experienced trail runners. I was in absolute AWE of their agility and speed - without exception they were cheerful and friendly, laughing with us about how tough the hike was. I was really excited that Gary Robbins (google him!) had passed us, and luckily - he was at the parking lot when we got to our cars. I had the opportunity to ask him if this trail is "hard" in his estimation and he laughed and said "YES! OMG this trail kicks my ass every time I do it!!" So, hard for all of us! <3 I tracked the ascent and descent separately, and only the ascent is recorded here. We moved at the same pace going down - so somewhere between 10-11 hrs total moving time. I worried that I would never walk again (ha!) but next day, I'm fine. Feet and ankles are a little tender but otherwise just fine. p.s. my friends' sweet 40lb dog made it up and down with enthusiasm! p.s.s. I can't imagine having done this without poles!

The view at the summit is just amazing! We began at 8h am and many parkings were available. So you don't have to worry about that. After the upper Pierce lake, the trail is very narrow (one person at the time).

Beautiful trail Nice weather