Hiking to Kelcema Lake on Washington’s Mountain Loop Highway

Looking for more hikes along Mountain Loop Highway?
Try the Old Robe Canyon Trail near Granite Falls.

CURRENT INFO

For current trail reports about the Kelcema Lake trail, visit the WTA (Washington Trails Association) website. The hike is also featured in the guidebook Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington by Susan Elderkin.

GOOD TO KNOW

There is a small gravel parking area at the Kelcema Lake trailhead. Reaching the trailhead requires driving up a rough, potholed gravel road. Most of the road is easily passable, but there are a few spots with deep washboarding. For this reason, I only recommend cars with high clearance, and all-wheel drive is helpful. We did it with our Mazda CX-5 and our friends drove their Subaru Outback and had no problems.

Parking requires a Northwest Forest pass, an interagency pass (such as the America the Beautiful pass), or paying a $5 day use fee. There is no pay station at the trailhead, so if you do not already have a pass, purchase a day use pass at the Verlot Public Service Center. The service center is located along Mountain Loop Highway, 12 miles west of the turnoff for the Kelcema Lake trailhead. It’s only open Monday through Friday, but has a pay station for purchasing day passes. When I stopped by in September, 2021, the machine was accepting only cash payments, and no change is given.

For those who hike regularly, or even just occasionally, I highly recommend purchasing either a Northwest Forest pass or America the Beautiful pass and keeping it in your car. Personally, I prefer the America the Beautiful pass because it covers all national parks and lands across the U.S. Some individuals may qualify for free or reduced price passes.

No toilets or drinking water are available at the trailhead, but there is a privy in the woods near Lake Kelcema. Look for a small wood sign pointing the way near the main camping area, just to the right after you reach the lake. Overnight camping is allowed in designated sites only. Dogs on leash are welcome. Bring clothing and footgear for muddy trails when hiking in early summer or if it has rained recently. We went during the dry season, so there were only a couple of muddy spots. The Kelcema Lake trail is open from roughly June through October. Snowshoeing is possible in winter, but the route is much longer.

Looking to swim? Bring your swimsuit to Kelcema Lake on a hot day! The water wasn’t too cold (by Washington standards) near the shore when we visited in early September. The lake quality ranges from fairly clear to somewhat muddy. Watch out for sticks and rocks under the surface.

HIGHLIGHTS

If you can make the drive, Kelcema Lake is a beautiful trail that’s far less crowded than some of the more popular hikes along Mountain Loop Highway, such as Lake Twenty-Two. This is probably due to both the rough road required to reach the trailhead, and the fact that it’s such a short hike. It’s a gorgeous spot to while away a few hours, and popular for campers looking for a mountain lake to call home for a night or two that doesn’t require a major trek. If you’re not camping, bring a hammock! There are many beautiful spots to hang one, and I regret not packing one with me.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

The kids thought Kelcema Lake was pretty great. They were a bit disappointed I didn’t bring their swimsuits (it wasn’t a hot day, so I decided to leave them in the car), but they had a lot of fun wading at the water’s edge and climbing logs and rocks. As usual, they were in no rush to leave. The hike itself was so short, it didn’t even feel like a hike. It was more of a “nature walk”, we decided. Keep in mind, however, that your own kids’ feelings about the trail may vary depending on their experience. For little legs that are new to hiking, this is definitely a hike!

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

Since Kelcema Lake is a short hike, it’s ideal if you want to spend more time at the lake than on the trail. You can even camp overnight if you prefer to linger longer. When we visited (on a Sunday afternoon during Labor Day weekend), a group had set up several tents at the main camping area closest to the lake, but there were still a few other sites open. Keep in mind that there are no facilities here other than a backwoods privy. Pack everything in and everything out!

Another great option is to explore more trails along Mountain Loop Highway. The Old Robe Canyon trail is a lot of fun (and a lot of mud) when the river is roaring. If you’re looking for more lakes, try Heather Lake, a beautiful 4.6 mile out-and-back hike. For a nice, easy option, try the 2 mile out-and-back trail to Boardman Lake. If you visit in early summer or late fall, check weather and trail conditions before you go, as many of these trails are snowed in throughout the winter.

We had no major Labor Day weekend plans, but a hike with friends is always welcome. Since we planned to head out on Sunday afternoon, I chose a short hike. A really short hike, in fact — the trail to Kelcema Lake was just half a mile. But lake hikes are often more about the destination, the chance to relax by the placid water, surrounded by rocky peaks and evergreens. Kelcema Lake is less well known than many other lakes in Washington’s Cascade Mountains, which made it all the more appealing.

Bad traffic near Snohomish delayed our arrival, so the kids were especially eager to get out of the car and onto the trail. As usual, they raced ahead, while I was distracted by more mundane things, like how best to cross this muddy section with our dog, Buddy. Fortunately, there were only a few such spots along the trail, and most of the path was dry.

Much more enticing than the mud were the huckleberries! In some places, the trail was lined with huckleberry bushes, with large, blue berries just waiting to be picked. Earlier in the summer, I’ve no doubt that the berries were even more plentiful. If only I’d brought a container to bring some home!

The trail meandered through the woods, sometimes over dirt, and sometimes across smooth rock slabs. With any mountain trail, even the “easy” ones, rocks are bound to be part of the experience. As is typical for Washington, there were also plenty of tree roots.

It felt as though mere minutes had passed when we arrived at the Kelcema Lake. A group of campers had set up their tents near the lakeshore on the right, so we decided to head left first. The trail doesn’t go far, but we discovered a mass of logs stuck at the lake’s outlet, creating a natural bridge from one side of the creek to the other. The kids immediately set about exploring, and at first they didn’t want to leave this site. We finally convinced them to head to the other side of the lake, where a large rock jutting over the water’s edge beckoned.

Getting to the other side meant passing through the campsite, but fortunately the campers were understanding, and pointed out the way to the lakeside trail. This trail extends along only a short portion of the shoreline, as steep slopes covered in a jumble of rocks prevent hikers from making a full loop around the lake. We also spotted the trail to the privy near the campsites, marked by a simple wood sign nailed to a tree. Sure enough, a toilet sat waiting in the woods, surrounded by a thicket of trees.

The real highlight of the lakeside trail was the giant “picnic rock” along the shore. It only took a little effort, and soon we were atop the boulder, looking out across Kelcema Lake. The rock offers a number of good places to sit and appreciate the view while enjoying a snack or sandwich, which is exactly what we did. We all agreed, however, that it wasn’t an ideal spot for cliff jumping. Kelcema Lake isn’t the clearest of alpine lakes, but it was still easy to see the massive rock slabs that lay just under the water below the picnic rock. Stick with picnicking while up here, and if you decide to swim, wade in from the shore.

All this water definitely made J want to swim, and he was sorely disappointed when I told him I’d left his swimsuit behind in the car.

“it just didn’t seem warm enough,” I explained. “But I brought your water shoes, so you can wade.”

Soon, the kids were splashing in the water from a tiny pocket beach near the picnic rock. True to form, J started yelling about how cold the water was (and he was the one who wanted to swim?). In reality, it wasn’t that cold. It was also a delightful spot for skipping stones. If only I’d brought my hammock to hang nearby! As it was, I had to make do with sitting on a rock. At least it was a rock with a gorgeous view.

The time ticked away, and we adults realized it was nearing 5:00. With a long drive to get home ahead of us, it was time to turn back. Soon, we were on the trail again. Like before, the trip passed quickly, although I did pause to pick a few last huckleberries. We had a rough four miles ahead of us as we drove back down to Mountain Loop Highway, but from that point on it was smooth sailing. Evening sunlight slanted through the trees as I thought back on our visit to Kelcema Lake. Summer may be almost over, but there are always more beautiful places to explore.