Location | Length | Elevation | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
Central Cascades | Entiat Mountains | 22.5 miles, roundtrip (This is from what we recorded on a Garmin Fenix 6x) | Gain: 5441 ft. Highest Point: 7089 ft. |
Located in the Entiat Mountains of the Central Cascades, Spider Meadows and Lyman Lakes are part of some really neat backpacking loops. With many different paths to take, you can return back to the same trailhead, or make your way all the way to Holden Village.
Since the trail does continue on, you can choose how far you want to travel, Lyman Lakes and back is going to be about a 22 mile trip, and the entire Buck Creek Pass Loop is over 40 miles!
This was a region we've not explored much of, and were blown away by the beauty this trip provided.
Getting Started
Start out at the Phelps Creek Trailhead. If it rains, expect the road to the trailhead to be a mess, there are a lot of deep dust patches that when wet will become rutted and tough to navigate in a lower vehicle.
The hike to Spider Meadows is relatively easy. You gain elevation very gradually over 5.5 miles, so you don't even notice the incline. Along the way, there are lots of smaller stream crossings that could be more difficult with recent snowmelt.
At the Meadows, there are campsites and toilets at the very beginning. You won't find more campsites until another mile. If you plan on going over Spider Gap the following day, the closer you get to the Gap the less work you'll have the next day.
Spider Gap and Lyman Lakes
From the end of Spider Meadows/Phelps Basin area, you'll have a couple thousand feet of elevation over a few miles to reach Spider Gap. Right before the main snow patch, there are some neat campsites that overlook the Meadows and they have a dedicated toilet as well.
The snow field is something you should be cautious about traveling across. Understand snow conditions and avoid traps that could cause harm/death.
Once you get to Spider Gap, you'll be disappointed as you look down at Lyman Lakes and you realize that you still have a ways to go. Luckily, the views are outstanding and will keep your mind at ease as your body gets tired of going up and down.
During certain seasons, there are lots of huckleberries available for picking on the other side of Upper Lyman Lakes. There are a few campsites over in that section as well before you make your way down to Lower Lyman Lakes.
Overall this trip was awesome and we want to explore way more of this area!
Click on images below to see a bigger picture
Gear We Use
Water Purification and Accessories
Practicing LNT Principles, and Giving Back
We really want to encourage everyone to practice LNT principles when they explore these beautiful places. We spent years trying to minimize social impact on these locations, but the cat is out of the bag and these places are easy to find online. So it is our mission to share more about ways to keep these places as pristine as possible.
We also donate 3% of all our profits to organizations supporting the outdoors and working hard to keep these areas protected and safe.
