This is a shorter hike; only an hour or so to get to Blue Lake from the trailhead and for me this was an evening hike. The trailhead is also popular with climbers who venture off to climb the magnificant peaks of the Early winter spires that are prominent from Blue Lake. This trailhead is prominently marked from Highway 20 just west of Washington Pass. It begins in forest but soon meanders out of the trees and some fine views are had soon after the hike is begun. There are a couple recent avalanche debris fields that the trail crosses but it never posed a problem as trail crews have cleared the debris from the trail. at Blue Lake itself the mosquitos were pretty bad due to the numerous small tarns of standing water nearby. This is another lake where camping isn't allowed within 1/4 mile of the lake due to it's close proximity to the highway. Makes for a great short daytrip with only 1000 feet of elevation gain. The trail is in great shape the entire way.
Highly recommended as a short daytrip that has a lot of reward for a bit of effort
An evening at Blue Lake July 27
Great pictures!