Image Lake

Image Lake
Image Lake
	Image Lake at sunset
	Image Lake Image Lake
Location	Cascade Range, Snohomish County, Washington
Coordinates	48°12′27″N121°0′30″W / 48.20750°N 121.00833°W
Type	Tarn
Primary outflows	Miners Creek
Catchment area	Skagit River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	3–4 acres (1.2–1.6 ha)
Surface elevation	6,056 ft (1,846 m)
References

Last updated March 29, 2024

Image Lake is a tarn in Glacier Peak Wilderness, in the North Cascades of Washington, United States.^[1]^[3] The lake is surrounded by Plummer Peak to the east, a lookout point to the west, the Miners Creek drainage and Glacier Peak to the south, and Canyon Lake to the north.^[3]^[4]^[5] The course of the popular^[4]^[6] Miners Ridge Trail skirts the lake.^[3]^[5] Glacier Peak can be seen from the outlet of the lake, and the peak reflected in the lake is a popular photographic subject.^[4]

As a result of a relatively mild temperate climate with ample precipitation, the areas around Image Lake boast rich natural habitats with many species of plants, insects, rodents, and large mammals. Native Americans took advantage of these resources, and may have inhabited the area seasonally. However, human activity such as hunting, fishing, and mining, and recreational overuse increased after the arrival of Europeans. As a result, some areas experienced significant environmental degradation near the end of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, including the eradication of large predatory animals. Recreational overuse and the presence of livestock were especially problematic in the early to mid-twentieth century.

Hydrology

Image Lake has a drainage basin with an area of less than 1 square mile (2.6 km²). Its primary outflow is a small, unnamed creek that feeds into Miners Creek, which in turn drains into the Suiattle River.^[3] The Suiattle River drains into the Skagit River, which in turn empties into Puget Sound.^[7] The highest point in the drainage basin is nearly 7,000 feet (2,100 m) above sea level.^[3] The lake itself is roughly circular,^[3] and has an area of about 3–4 acres (1.2–1.6 ha).^[2]

History

There is archaeological evidence that Native Americans had been using the area for at least 8,500 years before present, and had been present at Cascade Pass for at least 9,600 years.^[8] Wild game was apparently utilized by Native Americans, and obsidian was exploited since at least 5,000 years before present.^[8] They used several routes that passed through the region, and may have used its natural resources during the summer.^[9] Some tribes personified the mountains and incorporated them into their religions.^[9] Many of these routes followed ridge tops in order to avoid the dense brush and avalanche chutes of the valley bottoms.^[8] Horses were also used in the eighteenth century.^[9] There was a trail used by Native Americans as a route between Lake Chelan and the Suiattle River valley.^[9] The trail apparently traversed Cloudy Pass, which is some distance east of the lake.^[6] It was later used by miners and shepherds in the early 1900s.^[6] Shepherding was banned on Miners Ridge in 1940, but the popularity of the area continued to grow.^[6] Due to the area's popularity, the surrounding meadows deteriorated as a result of livestock grazing and off-trail hiking.^[6]^[10] As a result, livestock were allocated to the nearby Lady Camp Basin and hardier plants were introduced to the area surrounding the lake.^[4]^[6]

Image Lake was originally called "Mirror Lake", but was given its present name on April 10, 1940 by Hugh Ritter and Rudo Fromme, who were employees of the US Forest Service.^[2]^[11] The lake was first surveyed on July 14, 1939 by the Forest Service.^[2]

Kennecott Copper Corporation, as of 1988, planned to dig an open-pit copper mine in a basin approximately one mile east of Image Lake. However, protests by various advocacy groups, such as The Mountaineers, prevented the plan from developing further.^[4]

In 2003, floods washed out large portions of the Suiattle River Road, beginning 12.5 miles (20.1 km) from the trailhead, making Image Lake more accessible from Holden or Trinity.^[12] As of August 2013, construction crews are repairing the road, which was scheduled to be open by 2014.^[13] However, the Forest Service has a limited budget, and the effort to rebuild the road has been criticized by environmental groups, partly because of the lower number of visitors, since access from the west has become almost impossible.^[14]^[15] Since Image Lake is all but inaccessible from the west, it is necessary for hikers to access the lake from the east, via a two-day hike from Holden or Trinity.^[12]^[14]

Hiking

The trail to Image Lake can be accessed from the Suiattle River Road. It can also be accessed from Holden, on the east side of the Cascade crest, west of Lake Chelan.^[4]^[5] The trail begins by following the Suiattle River, eventually reaching open meadows with views of Glacier Peak.^[4] There is also an alpine route that leads from the Miners Ridge Trail to Plummer Mountain,^[16] and a little used trail that leads to Canyon Lake and Totem Pass,^[17] which is about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Dome Peak.^[3]

Related Research Articles

The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as many of those in the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades. The small part of the range in British Columbia is referred to as the Canadian Cascades or, locally, as the Cascade Mountains. The highest peak in the range is Mount Rainier in Washington at 14,411 feet (4,392 m).

Glacier Peak or Dakobed is the most isolated of the five major stratovolcanoes of the Cascade Volcanic Arc in the U.S state of Washington. Located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness in Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest, the volcano is visible from the west in Seattle, and from the north in the higher areas of eastern suburbs of Vancouver such as Coquitlam, New Westminster and Port Coquitlam. The volcano is the fourth tallest peak in Washington state, and not as much is known about it compared to other volcanoes in the area. Local Native Americans have recognized Glacier Peak and other Washington volcanoes in their histories and stories. When American explorers reached the region, they learned basic information about surrounding landforms, but did not initially understand that Glacier Peak was a volcano. Positioned in Snohomish County, the volcano is only 70 miles (110 km) northeast of downtown Seattle. From locations in northern Seattle and northward, Glacier Peak is closer than the more famous Mount Rainier (Tahoma), but as Glacier Peak is set farther into the Cascades and almost 4,000 feet (1,200 m) shorter, it is much less noticeable than Mount Rainier.

The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in the U.S. and Canada as the Cascade Mountains. The portion in Canada is known to Americans as the Canadian Cascades, a designation that also includes the mountains above the east bank of the Fraser Canyon as far north as the town of Lytton, at the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers.

The Sauk River is a tributary of the Skagit River, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in northwestern Washington in the United States. It drains an area of the high Cascade Range in the watershed of Puget Sound north of Seattle. The river is a popular destination for fly fishing. It is a National Wild and Scenic River.

Kyes Peak, which is also known as "Goblin Peak", is a mountain peak located in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness in Washington, United States. Kyes Peak rises to over 7,280 feet (2,220 m). Together with Columbia Peak and Monte Cristo Peak it forms a basin that contains Columbia Glacier and Blanca Lake. It is the highest summit in the Monte Cristo group of peaks.

Mount Pugh is a peak near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Washington state. It is located 12.2 miles (19.6 km) west of Glacier Peak, one of the Cascade stratovolcanoes. It rises out of the confluence of the White Chuck River and the Sauk River, giving it very low footings. For example, it rises 6,150 feet (1,875 m) above the Sauk River Valley in just over 2 horizontal miles (3.2 km); its rise over the White Chuck River is almost as dramatic. The mountain is named for John Pugh, who settled nearby, in 1891.

Luna Peak is the second highest mountain in the Picket Range, an extremely rugged subrange of the North Cascades in the American state of Washington. It is located within North Cascades National Park. It is notable for its large local relief and isolated position on a far-flung eastern ridge of the Pickets. For example, it rises over 6,560 ft (2,000 m) in 1.8 mi (2.9 km) above McMillan Creek to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napeequa River</span> River in the United States of America

The Napeequa River is a 19-mile (31 km) long river in the U.S. state of Washington on the east side of the Cascade Range. It rises in northwest Chelan County and flows southwest into the White River near Twin Lakes. The White River flows into Lake Wenatchee. The Napeequa River and its valley are notable for their beauty and isolation, as well as their interesting geological history. It flows through an isolated southeast-trending valley characterized by a broad meadows surrounded by rugged mountains. The Chiwawa Mountains, or Chiwawa Ridge mark the east side of the valley, separating the Napeequa and Chiwawa Rivers. To the west the White Mountains separate the Napeequa from the White River. Both are sub-ranges of the Cascade Range.

Sahale Mountain is a jagged, glaciated mountain, in North Cascades National Park, in northern Washington state. The summit of Sahale Mountain is referred to as Sahale Peak. It is 0.3 miles (0.48 km) south of its higher neighbor, Boston Peak, and the saddle between the two is 80 feet (24 m) lower than Sahale's summit. Quien Sabe Glacier is to the west of the ridge between the two peaks while Davenport Glacier is in a cirque east of this ridge and above Horseshoe Basin. Sahale Glacier is south of the summit and east of Sahale Arm, a ridge that extends southwest from Sahale to Cascade Pass. The name Sahale may originate from a Northwest Native American word meaning "high place," "falcon," or "sacred."

The Suiattle River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington.

Mount Blum, or Mount Bald, is a 7,685-foot (2,342 m) summit of the North Cascades range in Washington state, on the western edge of North Cascades National Park. It is the highest summit of a string of mountain peaks located east of Mount Shuksan and west of the Picket Range. Two small active glaciers rest on its northern flank. Mount Blum was named after John Blum, a United States Forest Service fire patrol pilot who perished in a plane crash near Snoqualmie Pass in 1931.

Mount Triumph is a summit in the North Cascades range of Washington state. Located approximately 5.5 miles (8.9 km) west-northwest of the town of Newhalem, it was named by Lage Wernstedt, a surveyor with the U.S. Forest Service. A significant peak in North Cascades National Park, Mount Triumph is one of its "outstanding sights" and is well known among regional climbers for its lack of easy climbing routes to the summit. Despite its moderate elevation, its local relief is dramatic. With the terrain deeply dissected by the valleys of Bacon Creek on the west and Goodell Creek on the east, it rises 1 mile (1.6 km) in less than 2 miles (3.2 km) on the latter side.

Albert Hale Sylvester was a pioneer surveyor, explorer, and forest supervisor in the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Washington. He was a topographer for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the Snoqualmie Ranger District between 1897 and 1907. Then, from 1908 to 1931, he served the United States Forest Service as the first forest supervisor of Wenatchee National Forest. His work involved the first detailed surveying and mapping of large portions of the Cascade Range in Washington, over the course of which he gave names to over 1,000 natural features. The surveying work often required placing cairns and other survey targets on top of mountains. He made the first ascents of a number of mountains in Washington. Over the course of his career he explored areas previously unknown to non-indigenous people. One such area, which Sylvester discovered, explored, and named, is The Enchantments. In 1944, while leading a party of friends to one of his favorite parts of the mountains, Sylvester was mortally wounded when his horse panicked and lost his footing on a steep and rocky slope.

Bacon Peak is a mountain located in North Cascades National Park, in the Cascade range in the U.S. state of Washington. Its glaciers cover 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²); the three main glaciers are Diobsud Creek Glacier, Green Lake Glacier and Noisy Creek Glacier.

Green Lake Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington and is immediately northeast of Bacon Peak. Green Lake Glacier descends from a ridge extending from the east of Bacon Peak. The glacier forms two tongues descending to the north of the ridge from 6,600 to 5,500 ft. The ridge is an arête which separates Green Lake Glacier from Diobsud Creek Glacier to the south. Meltwater from the glacier spills over Bacon Lake Falls en route to Green Lake.

Green Mountain is a peak in the Glacier Peak Wilderness above the Suiattle River in Snohomish County, Washington. It is notable for being the site of the Green Mountain Lookout, which was preserved by an Act of Congress in 2014.

Mount Larrabee is a 7,865-foot (2,397-metre) Skagit Range mountain summit situated 1.4 mile south of the Canada–United States border, in the North Cascades of Washington state. It is located immediately southeast of American Border Peak within the Mount Baker Wilderness, which is part of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and near North Cascades National Park. It is notable for its reddish coloring caused by oxidation of Iron in the rock. The rock consists of reddish interbedded and interfolded phyllites and greenstone. Originally known as Red Mountain, the name was changed in 1951 to honor Charles F. Larrabee (1895–1950), of the prominent Larrabee family of Bellingham, Washington. The name was officially adopted in 1951 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Kendall Peak is a mountain located on the county line separating King County and Kittitas County of Washington state. It is within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the crest of the Cascade Range. Kendall Peak is situated two miles northeast of Snoqualmie Pass on land managed by Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Precipitation runoff on the east side of the mountain drains into Silver Creek and makes its way to the Columbia River via Yakima River, whereas the west side of the mountain drains into the South Fork Snoqualmie River via Commonwealth Creek. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses its west flank and an exposed section of the trail called Kendall Katwalk has seen tragic deaths over the years, most recently September 5, 2018. The nearest higher peak is Red Mountain, 0.9 miles (1.4 km) to the north-northwest.

Plummer Mountain is a prominent summit of the North Cascades, in Snohomish County of Washington state. It is located west of Suiattle Pass in the heart of the Glacier Peak Wilderness on land managed by Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Plummer Mountain is the high point and eastern culmination of Miners Ridge. Image Lake on Miners Ridge provides a campsite from which to climb Plummer. Kennecott Copper Corporation, as of 1988, planned to dig an open-pit copper mine on the slopes of Plummer Mountain. However, protests by various advocacy groups prevented the plan from developing further.

Kololo Peaks is an 8,200+ ft mountain located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the North Cascades in Washington state. The mountain is situated on the crest of the Cascade Range, on the shared border of Snohomish County and Chelan County, and also straddling the boundary between Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Wenatchee National Forest. The nearest higher peak is Glacier Peak, 3.29 mi (5.29 km) to the north. Precipitation runoff and meltwater from the White River Glacier on the southeast slope drains into White River. On the west slope, the White Chuck Glacier drains into the White Chuck River, and the Suiattle Glacier and Honeycomb Glacier on the north and east sides drain into the Suiattle River. Surrounded by these glaciers, Fred Beckey in his Cascade Alpine Guide describes the mountain as being almost a nunatak.

References

Footnotes

1 2 "Image Lake". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. September 10, 1979. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
1 2 3 4 "Decision Card for Image Lake". United States Forest Service, April 10, 1940. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Image Lake, WA — N48.19932° W121.01539° (Map). 1:24K. USGS 7.5 minute series. 2008–2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Spring, Ira; Manning, Harvey (1998). 100 Classic Hikes in Washington — Ira Spring, Harvey Manning — Google Books (published July 31, 1998). pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-1-59485-384-5 . Retrieved July 27, 2013.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
1 2 3 "Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest — Miners Ridge Trail 785". United States Forest Service . Retrieved July 22, 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Smith, Bernard A. (October 27–29, 1978). Written at Portland, Oregon. Recreational Impact on Wildlands: Conference Proceedings. University of Minnesota: Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region (published 1979). pp. 280–283. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
↑ Kimbrough, R.A. (March 23, 2006). "Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005" (PDF). United States Geological Survey: 374. Retrieved December 10, 2013.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
1 2 3 "History & Culture — North Cascades National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". US National Park Service. October 17, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
1 2 3 4 Beckey, p. 220
↑ Hendee, John C.; Stankey, George H.; Lucas, Robert C. (1978). Wilderness Management. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture . Retrieved July 27, 2013.
↑ Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
1 2 Romano, Craig (2011). Backpacking Washington: Overnight and Multiday Routes — Craig Romano — Google Books. Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-1-59485-413-2 . Retrieved August 5, 2013.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
↑ "Suiattle River Road Conditions". Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest . Retrieved August 5, 2013.
1 2 Landers, Rich (August 18, 2013). "Should Image Lake be reopened to crowds of hikers?". Outdoors. The Spokesman-Review . Spokane, Washington . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
↑ Romano, Craig (September 3, 2010). "Hike of the Week for Friday, September 3, 2010" . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
↑ Beckey, p. 383
↑ Woodmansee, Mike (2003). Written at Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Trekking Washington. Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers Books. p. 139. ISBN 0-89886-904-8 . Retrieved October 24, 2013.

Bibliography

Beckey, Fred (February 1, 2002). Fulsaas, Kris; Clifton-Thornton, Christine (eds.). Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass — Fred Beckey — Google Books (3rd ed.). The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-1-59485-384-5 . Retrieved July 28, 2013.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
Kruckeberg, Arthur (1991). The Natural History of Puget Sound Country — Arthur R. Krukeberg — Google Books. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-97477-X . Retrieved November 11, 2013.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

External links

Image Lake on the Washington Trails Association website
New York Times article

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[GNIS-1] 1 2 "Image Lake". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. September 10, 1979. Retrieved July 22, 2013.

[Decision_card-2] 1 2 3 4 "Decision Card for Image Lake". United States Forest Service, April 10, 1940. Retrieved October 19, 2013.

[Topo-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Image Lake, WA — N48.19932° W121.01539° (Map). 1:24K. USGS 7.5 minute series. 2008–2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.

[100_hikes-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Spring, Ira; Manning, Harvey (1998). 100 Classic Hikes in Washington — Ira Spring, Harvey Manning — Google Books (published July 31, 1998). pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-1-59485-384-5 . Retrieved July 27, 2013.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

[USFS-5] 1 2 3 "Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest — Miners Ridge Trail 785". United States Forest Service . Retrieved July 22, 2013.

[Conference-6] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Smith, Bernard A. (October 27–29, 1978). Written at Portland, Oregon. Recreational Impact on Wildlands: Conference Proceedings. University of Minnesota: Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region (published 1979). pp. 280–283. Retrieved July 23, 2013.

[7] Kimbrough, R.A. (March 23, 2006). "Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005" (PDF). United States Geological Survey: 374. Retrieved December 10, 2013.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[History_&_Culture-8] 1 2 3 "History & Culture — North Cascades National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". US National Park Service. October 17, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2013.

[Beckey_history-9] 1 2 3 4 Beckey, p. 220

[10] Hendee, John C.; Stankey, George H.; Lucas, Robert C. (1978). Wilderness Management. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture . Retrieved July 27, 2013.

[majors-11] Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.

[Romano-12] 1 2 Romano, Craig (2011). Backpacking Washington: Overnight and Multiday Routes — Craig Romano — Google Books. Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-1-59485-413-2 . Retrieved August 5, 2013.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

[13] "Suiattle River Road Conditions". Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest . Retrieved August 5, 2013.

[Spokesman-14] 1 2 Landers, Rich (August 18, 2013). "Should Image Lake be reopened to crowds of hikers?". Outdoors. The Spokesman-Review . Spokane, Washington . Retrieved October 21, 2013.

[15] Romano, Craig (September 3, 2010). "Hike of the Week for Friday, September 3, 2010" . Retrieved October 21, 2013.

[16] Beckey, p. 383

[Trekking_Washington-17] Woodmansee, Mike (2003). Written at Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Trekking Washington. Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers Books. p. 139. ISBN 0-89886-904-8 . Retrieved October 24, 2013.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]