Smelling Lake via Pilchuck River Trail
14.9 mi · ▲ 1,908 ft · 5 hr 55 min
Smelling Lake via Pilchuck River Trail is a 14.9-mile out-and-back near Pilchuck, WA. The route reaches Smelling Lake at the turnaround, 7.5 miles in. It climbs 1,908 ft, with sections as steep as 15% grade. It scores 84/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Smelling Lake via Pilchuck River Trail
14.9 mi · ▲ 1,908 ft · 5 hr 55 min
Elevation 528–1,415 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: 48.02900, -121.91521
Weather Sep 4: Light drizzle, high 69°F / low 52° · precip 28% · wind 3 mph · sunrise 6:31 AM · sunset 7:45 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Pilchuck River Trail, heading SE.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading N.
- 2.7 miTurn left, heading NW.
- 1.1 miTurn left, heading W.
- 1 miSharp right, heading E.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading E.
- 1.7 miTurn right, heading E.
- 0.4 miBear left, heading N.
- 0.2 miReach Smelling Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.2 miBear right, heading SE.
- 0.4 miTurn left, heading NW.
- 1.7 miTurn left, heading NW.
- 0.1 miSharp left, heading SW.
- 1 miTurn right, heading E.
- 1.1 miTurn right, heading SE.
- 2.9 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.5 mi in (~17 min). Leave by 7:08 PM for the 7:45 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:11 PM — 5 min before dark.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- Pilchuck River Trail 10.2 mi · ▲ 1,566 ft
- Cleanup and streams via Pilchuck River Trail 11.6 mi · ▲ 1,647 ft
- Chitwood Lake & Hanson Lake Loop via Pilchuck River Trail 15.8 mi · ▲ 1,978 ft
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Hikes near Pilchuck, Washington