Lake Isabel

Lake Isabel is not a trail in any conventional sense. There is no maintained path, no signage, and no formal Forest Service designation. What exists is a series of user routes cobbled together from old logging roads and boot tracks through dense second-growth forest. Getting to the lake requires navigating a deteriorating road, fording the South Fork Skykomish River (deep and swift, especially in spring), and pushing through steep, brushy terrain on the far side.

The lake itself is worth the effort if you are the type who values remote places. It sits in a wooded basin below Zeke's Mountain, ringed by conifers with rocky slopes above. It is not a classic alpine cirque lake, but it has a wild, forgotten quality. Floatplanes land here occasionally, which tells you something about how much easier it is to reach by air than on foot. A few established campsites sit near the shore.

This is firmly in the "know what you are getting into" category. Route-finding skills are required. The river crossing is the crux, and it is genuinely dangerous during high water. Go in late summer when flows are lowest. The approach road may be gated well before the old trailhead, adding mileage. Recent reports describe parking near the Gold Bar Bouldering Area and walking in from there. No permit is currently required, but bring a GPS and do not rely on phone signal.