Indian Heaven Trail #33 is a 6.2 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Stevenson, Washington that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, camping, and horses and is best used from July until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
A federal Northwest Forest Pass is required to park here
Gifford Pinchot National Forest Mount Adams Ranger District 2455 Highway 141 Trout Lake, WA 98650 Tel: 509.395.3400
From Vancouver, east 70 miles on Highway 14 to Highway 141. Turn north and drive 22 miles to Trout Lake. Continue north on Highway 141 as it becomes Forest Service Road 24 for 18 miles to the signed trailhead within Cultus Creek Campground.
October 17, 2020Did a lollipop loop from Placid Lake TH for 12+ miles total.
October 3, 2020October 3, 2020October 2, 2020Awesome
September 29, 2020A nice walk in the woods, there are many camping opportunities at several subalpine lakes along the loop. 4 miles of the trail is relatively flat, and most of the it is free of roots-n-rocks. It is not scenic. There are a couple of peekaboo views of Mount Adams on the ridges going up and down.
September 17, 2020did this over labor day weekend. pretty busy but that was to be expected. hiked itcwith my 13 year old daughter. they weren't kidding when they said the first part is steep especially for a kid. but after that it was great. tons of huckleberry and be sure to plan on cooling off in the super clear lakes!!!!
September 5, 2020August 26, 2020very beautiful. steep start and finish for over 1/2 hour each way but the rest was easy and fast walking. No mosquitos or flys. The road up to Cultus campground was slow and dusty. You could only drive 20 mph. I would do it again.
August 23, 2020August 17, 2020Well marked and maintained trail, gradual incline going in, a bit steep coming out.
August 2, 2020August 1, 2020Yes bugs but with long-sleeves,pants,bug net and DEET I can say I still enjoyed the hike! That said, if you can come back another time to check out Indian Heaven, do. If not, be prepared (see above) and you’ll not regret. We did loop out of Cultus Creek CG...10 miles with a few side trips to check out lakes.
July 24, 2020July 24, 2020They are not kidding when they say there's "a bit of a climb." I did this hike counter clockwise 1500 feet elevation gain in under 1.5 miles. Sweat and hard breathing will bring out the bugs: bring your bug spray. That said, spectacular hike. I didn't see another soul until the last mile or two. Gorgeous views of Mt. Adams and loved the alpine lakes.
June 24, 2020Loads of bugs. beware. we got eaten alive. and the road to get there after a bit has huge potholes that might damage your car if you don't have food ground clearance. we made it in a Mini cooper but we were swerving for a good 8 miles. the hike was almost all up hill. it was steep and it took all we had to finish. it was beautiful but we weren't able to look because we were too busy looking at the ground doging rocks. would recommend if your more experienced and fit. i would rate this as a hard not moderate. if your looking for a challenge. this is the one for you
June 21, 2020Steep climb up and then trail was covered in snow (June) , hard to find the trail, had to follow the black circles on trees, then just had to use GPS to head towards the deep lake, absolutely gorgeous, light blue glacier water.
November 20, 2019Gorgeous hike! There was snow on the ground which made it a little hard to see the trail at times. Plus the trails aren’t well marked. I took a wrong turn and stumbled upon 3 gorgeous lakes and an amazing lookout. I decided to not do the full loop, due to time. Took a wrong turn again and eventually found my tracks in the snow. Lol. Next time I’ll bring a map, or not hike alone! I’m excited to go back and do the full loop. Quite the adventure!
August 24, 2019August 6, 2019The trail is in great shape and there are still tons of wildflowers. Take your bug spray. The mosquitos are terrible around the lakes.
June 9, 2019My wife (5mo. pregnant) and I did this one today intending on stopping at Deep Lake but instead we made it to Cultus Lake and even that took some navigating on our part. You start to hit a decent amount of snow about 1 mile in and it never clears up. There were time where we completely lost the trail but knowing that we needed to go SSE to get to the lake ultimately helped us out. Take a GPS if you go soon or give it another few warm weeks and the trail should be great. The view of Adams and St. Helens were amazing!
June 2, 2019We tried this trail yesterday (June 2nd, 2019) and the parking lot was still mostly covered in two feet of snow. After about 15 minutes of searching we finally found the trailhead. At first the trail seemed like it was ok but then about a mile in we lost the trail due to it being covered in 2 - 3 feet of snow. At this point I just gave up being it was my first time there and didn't want to end up lost that far back. Big Disappointment. I did however get some great shots of Mt. Adams from various points so I guess that made the two hour drive not so much of a bust.
September 30, 2018September 29. Started at Cultis Creek Campground trail #108 and followed loop through trail #33. Spectacular autumn foliage. The huckleberries were vibrant red and you could still find fruit at Deep Lake. Spotted a frog and a snake, lots of birds. Do visit the side trails to other lakes. Deep lake was beautiful. Found the old PCT trail via one of the meadows. Take a photo of the map as a guide.
September 15, 2018A very pleasant hike. Probably the real question about which direction to take is whether you want to hit lakes shortly after the uphill climb (then start on the Indian Heaven trail) or end with lakes just before starting the downhill (then start with the Cultus Creek trail. In any case, this hike is mainly about meadows and lakes with a few good vistas. And this time of year the huckleberries are amazing, the bugs nonexistent, the the colors beautiful. Pay attention to the mushrooms. There are so many varieties, some of amazing size (large and small) and some with brilliant colors. Take the trails to Deep Lake, Lemei Lake, Deer Lake, Wood Lake - you may as well enjoy the lakes. In all but one case, we had the lakes to ourselves.
August 29, 2018I was with Lisa: see below
August 29, 2018Start from Cultus Creek side of loop, rather than Indian Heaven. It’s very rocky and steep-we came down that way and wished we’d gone up it instead. A lot of work for end of hike. Overall really enjoyed this hike. Gorgeous views, meadows, huckleberries, lakes, not too many people. Not dusty. Good climbs in and out.
September 8, 2017Not spectacular, just really... pleasant (in the best sense of the word). Steep climb at the beginning, but very nice on the Indian Heaven "plateau". Very park-like, pretty lakes, some peekaboo mountain views (Mt Adams is the major one, with Goat Rocks & Mt Rainier in the distance), tons of huckleberries, lots of places to camp. The Cultus Creek section of trail is especially steep (even on the way down) and narrow, but is kinda neat because you get glimpses of how high up you really are. Buggy as expected, but no mosquitos (as of 8/19). Roads are partly paved and gravel/dirt (very dusty) but in good condition. Even with a lot of parking spots in the campground, none open when I first got there on a Saturday. Popular!
September 4, 2017Pretty scenery, especially the lakes. Do the Lemei hike as well, amazing views from that location.
