Blue Lake Trail is a 1.6 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Cascade, Idaho that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and nature trips and is best used from June until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
This trail is closed during the winter and opens June 1st every year.
October 18, 2020This was a short decent, beautiful scenery with a brisk wind, on a great day in mid-October. No snow yet and we were lucky to miss the rain today. Things got interesting when my 2 1/2 year old decided to sit in the trail and take off her coat and gloves and descend further into a deep hole of tantrum- you parents know what I’m talking about. The climb back to the parking lot with her in the Kelty, screaming loud enough to assure that no hunter within 3 units will see an animal in the next week, was a long steep climb. I got a few sideways looks from other hikers like- “is that child hers, or?” But who else would pack a kid up a hill besides their parent As usual, everyone lived.
October 9, 2020Fun trail. Beautiful spots by the lake shore
September 13, 2020This was a little side trip on the way to our campsite for the weekend. Road to trailhead is dry, dusty washboard (at times we had to put our truck into 4wd to gain some traction). Trail was packed but once you got down to the lake it was easy to distance and space out. Overcast day which provided some relief from the heat. The hike really begins on the way back which is all elevation gain. Doable, just not what we normally expect when hiking. Easy little hike with beautiful scenery.
September 2, 2020Beautiful lake and nice easy hike for the family. Did a quick afternoon trip so didn't have any problems with mosquitoes. Our dogs loved playing in the water, but it was a lot muddier than expected. Plenty of boulders to climb and places to explore for the kids. Cars can make it but expect a lot of washboards on the drive up the mountain.
August 16, 2020August 16, 2020Beautiful hike! Tons of wild flowers. We got to the trail head at about 10 am and there were already about 20 cars parked there. If you want to get to some kind of shore where little kids can play, turn left at the fork closest to the lake. There’s a good spot to let them wade out on the opposite side you hike down to so to avoid hiking all the way around like we did, turn left. We took our three year old and she walked the whole way out and back. She was pretty worn out by the time we got back to the car as the hike out is steep.
August 15, 2020The trail is a great trail for families. The lake is glacial runoff so it is cold. Only my 11 and 13 year old were willing to get all the way into the water. Downside is the long drive up the mountain roads that are a bit rough and washed out. Hike is great and worth doing once.
August 4, 2020Great trail! The drive was 8-10 miles up an unpaved windy road. You drive up to two parking areas. We parked, SPF’d up and headed down a rocky downhill trail. We arrived at the lake which was pretty! It didn’t meet my personal expectations, Was expecting sawtooth pretty though because we climbed so high. Lots of mosquitos! Overall, it’s a great steep hike to do to get away from the city life. Trail is heavily trafficked though. We had to wear a mask while climbing back up because several huge families were hiking down.
August 2, 2020Short and sweet. Busy, but once you get to the water it doesn’t feel crowded. Packed 3 paddle boards with 4 kids and they all did fine. Great day hike for families.
July 31, 2020Great hike! Weather is nice as it’s hot but a little cooler hiking there. Steep climb coming out. Only downfall is there are a lot of people. Fished and didn’t catch anything.
July 29, 2020On July 28th, my husband, 10 month old, red heeler and I adventured near the trail head to camp for the night. The road was a little bumpy, but nothing intense. There is a porta potty at the trail head. There are two trails, a mile to the lake and a backpacking trail that extends to 119 miles. The way to the lake is all down hill, on a rocky surface. The way down is incredibly easy. It is muddy in a few places, but that is to be expected when you go to an alpine lake and snow is still on some of the mountain. At the lake there were multiple places to backpack into that were clean and level. The water was a nice temperature to relax and swim in. The water was clean and clear. The views to the lake and at the lake are absolutely breathtaking. There are bugs, you are near water, so take bug spray. The way back is all up hill, a good climb. Over all this is a beautiful hike and a lake to hang out at. We will be back and highly recommend. We have a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuqAytrT-U1vlphR3WWujJw #Familyoffree. It’s a family channel of us camping and hiking weekly. Here is the video for this trail https://youtu.be/cokX1csRAJU
July 28, 20201. Expect 8+ miles of washboard dirt road to get to the parking lot. 2. Steep descent, which makes for a steep ascent on the way back. 3. LOTS of people. Don't expect a secluded, serene experience. Yelling kids and all. 4. Mosquitos like Alaska. Despite using lots of bug spray, we were run out of town by the little malaria breeders. Will we go back? Nope. Not worth it.
July 28, 2020Hi my niece was supposed to be hiking this trail Tuesday July 28. She is missing now and her car found at the trail head parking lot. I don't know how to contact another alltrails user but if anyone has contact info for Chris Johnston, he reviewed the trail the same day she was supposed to be there too. my email is lvillaro23@gmail.com instagram @lilliloves PLEASE WE ARE DESPERATE FOR ANY HELP!
July 27, 2020This review is from June 20th so a little dated. Very snowy and beautiful- and love the huge slick rocks by the lake which are a perfect hangout spot. Pretty steep descent and return but well worth it!
July 22, 2020Absolutely gorgeous lake with gorgeous wildflowers EVERYWHERE!!! It is a fairly steep 1 mile hike down to the lake, then a 1 mile trail around the lake (sometimes you have to look for the trail through the rocks or over a stream, but it is there!), and then the hike back up. The road to get to the trailhead is a gravel Forest Service Road that goes about 8 miles (I think) up a windy road to the top of Snow Bank Mountain. There is an outhouse in the parking lot. Do remember your bug spray and don't leave it in the car like I did! :) Also, you turn LEFT on Snow Bank Mntn Road, not right as my instructions said (you can only turn left, but we kept wondering if we were on the wrong road...)
July 20, 2020I would have rated 5 stars, but I was eaten alive by mosquitoes. I used 3 different mosquito repellents (a natural one, off with deet and another one with a higher percentage of deet). Mosquitoes are normally attracted to me, but I can usually spray myself and it works.... not this time. I've never seen so many mosquitoes in my life. The hike was great, my 4 year old did it and the last part when you can see the bathrooms is when he finally said he was tired. The views are amazing and there were so many flowers. You can still see a sliver of snow on the mountain.
July 17, 2020July 16, 2020This is one of my favorite hikes in Idaho. It is absolutely gorgeous! We hiked down and around the lake today. There was a tiny bit of mud and a little snow on the trail. But, it was easy to walk around or over it. The pups loved the snow and creek crossings (nothing major). Definitely bring bug spray though. The mosquitoes were out!
July 10, 2020The trail that goes around the lake still has snow on it. My group could still closely navigate the trail; be careful it is slippery. Over all the views are worth the quick rocky decent to the lake and the slow rocky uphill to the parking area.
July 7, 2020great Trail, and good people!
July 4, 2020I took my 5 years old grandson for his first backpacking trip, he enjoyed it. Trail was good in some parts was muddy, and still have some patch of snow, my grandson jump on the water and he said was perfect for him! Not for me. A lot of day hikes and couple overnighting. I picked up some garbage to leave there
July 2, 2020Beautiful, moderate trail. good for walking, campaign, and mtn biking.
June 20, 2020FROZEN LAKE!? This hike was one of the shortest, most adventurous hike I’ve ever done! The way to the lake is primarily downhill which offers great views from the get-go. Once you’ve reached Blue Lake, there are great rocky outcropping to sit and and take-in the beautiful lake. My partner and I did this hike in late May on a hot day (97 degrees in Boise that day) and yet still encountered amass amounts of snow making the trail difficult to follow (in fact I have no idea if we even followed the trail at any point during the hike). Additionally, there was still a decent amount of snow covering the snowmelt run-off streams so crossing the streams was a bit sketchy so wear good boots if you are hiking this early in the Summer. Lastly, the lake was frozen which made for a unique and beautiful experience! PSA: there were a few rowdy snowmobilers so be aware. Also, if you are planning on using the trail during early to mid summer expect snow or muddy conditions!
June 17, 2020solid hike in and out. decent bit of snow but not to bad. when you reach the lake its still frozen. not much fishing or swimming there yet. but beautiful place to stay the night! would love to do it again mid summer
June 12, 2020Friday afternoon (before the new weekend snow) parking lot was snow covered, trail mostly snow covered and lake pretty much still frozen over. Looked like few snow-free spots to camp.
June 6, 2020snowy, icy, muddy. 2 - 3 feet of snow covers parking lot.
