Sunday Lake

Sunday Lake hides on the western edge of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness north of North Bend, reached by a six-mile out-and-back from a yellow gate at the end of NF-5700. The route demands a Campbell Recreation permit at the access road — a private timber holding open to permit-holders only — and the trail itself is far from a polished one. Three hundred and fifty feet of gain across three miles sounds modest until the surface starts mixing.

The route alternates between old logging-road grade, boggy grassland threaded by raised planks, mossy single-track, and a rocky creek bed. Sunday Creek demands a ford that can hit waist-deep in late spring; the crossing eases through midsummer. Blowdowns and sinkholes appear without warning. Trail maintenance is sparse — this is not a route for hikers who want clear tread the whole way.

The lake itself sits low and quiet, ringed by hemlock and the remains of old-growth that escaped past logging. Wildflowers fill the boggy approach in early summer; mountain views open through the brush in places. Best season is mid-June through September once the creek drops and before fall rains return.