My sister dragged me into yet another Classic Hikes book checkoff hike, this time on a backpacking trip to Mad Lake. There weren't any recent trip reports which had me concerned as it could mean the trail was unmaintained. The lake is located on the east side of the Cascades in the Lake Wenatchee area. Getting to the trailhead was the worst part of the trip as the forest road to it was rough and exposed in some areas. Once on the trail things were much better. The trail was decent and gently climbed 1600 feet in 9 miles. The only problem was the trail was heavily used by dirt bikes so we had to often jump off the trail to let them pass. The bikers were courteous so it wasn't big issue. The lake itself was small and there weren't any views around it, but it made for a peaceful campsite. The next day we took a different route back past Two Little Lakes. The route back was longer at 12 miles, but it allowed for some more variety. In the end the trip ended up being an easy and pleasant backpacking trip which was unexpected due to the limited trip reports.

Mad River?

Mad Lake Trail

Meadow

Mad Lake

Mad Lake Camp

Mad Lake

Mad Lake Camp

Misty Morning

Little Lake

Littler Lake

Butterfly

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August 12-13, 2023