:Image Lake

{{See also|Sauk River (Washington)}}

Image Lake has a drainage basin with an area of less than {{convert|1|mi2|km2}}. Its primary outflow is a small, unnamed creek that feeds into Miners Creek, which in turn drains into the Suiattle River. The Suiattle River drains into the Skagit River, which in turn empties into Puget Sound.{{cite journal | last=Kimbrough | first=R.A. | date=March 23, 2006 | title=Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005 | url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/2005/wdr-wa-05-1/pdf/wa00103ADR2005_Figure40.pdf | access-date=December 10, 2013 | publisher=United States Geological Survey | page=374}} The highest point in the drainage basin is nearly {{convert|7000|ft|m}} above sea level. The lake itself is roughly circular, and has an area of about {{convert|3|–|4|acre|ha}}.

File:Horse Camp at Image Lake, Glacier Peak, Mount Baker Forest - NARA - 299064.jpg

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.{{cite web | url=https://home.nps.gov/noca/learn/historyculture/index.htm | title=History & Culture — North Cascades National Park (U.S. National Park Service) | date=October 17, 2013 | publisher=US National Park Service | access-date=November 9, 2013}} Wild game was apparently utilized by Native Americans, and obsidian was exploited since at least 5,000 years before present. They used several routes that passed through the region, and may have used its natural resources during the summer.Beckey, p. 220 Some tribes personified the mountains and incorporated them into their religions. Many of these routes followed ridge tops in order to avoid the dense brush and avalanche chutes of the valley bottoms. Horses were also used in the eighteenth century. There was a trail used by Native Americans as a route between Lake Chelan and the Suiattle River valley. The trail apparently traversed Cloudy Pass, which is some distance east of the lake. It was later used by miners and shepherds in the early 1900s. Shepherding was banned on Miners Ridge in 1940, but the popularity of the area continued to grow. Due to the area's popularity, the surrounding meadows deteriorated as a result of livestock grazing and off-trail hiking.{{cite book| title=Wilderness Management| first1=John C.| last1=Hendee| first2=George H.| last2=Stankey| first3=Robert C.| last3=Lucas| year=1978| publisher=Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CcljwJXpi54C | access-date=July 27, 2013}} As a result, livestock were allocated to the nearby Lady Camp Basin and hardier plants were introduced to the area surrounding the lake.

Image Lake was originally called "Mirror Lake", but was given its present name on {{nowrap|April 10, 1940}} by Hugh Ritter and Rudo Fromme, who were employees of the US Forest Service.{{Cite book| last = Majors | first = Harry M. | title = Exploring Washington | publisher = Van Winkle Publishing Co | year = 1975 | page = 33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoWrPQAACAAJ&pg=PA33| isbn = 978-0-918664-00-6}} The lake was first surveyed on {{nowrap|July 14, 1939}} by the Forest Service.

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.

In 2003, floods washed out large portions of the Suiattle River Road, beginning {{convert|12.5|mi|km}} from the trailhead, making Image Lake more accessible from Holden or Trinity.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tj1pST7PWPQC&pg=PA205 | title=Backpacking Washington: Overnight and Multiday Routes — Craig Romano — Google Books | work=Backpacking Washington: Overnight and Multiday Routes | last=Romano | first=Craig | publisher=The Mountaineers Books | publication-date=2011 | location=Seattle, Washington | isbn=978-1-59485-413-2 | access-date=August 5, 2013 | year=2011}} As of {{nowrap|August 2013}}, construction crews are repairing the road, which was scheduled to be open by 2014.{{cite web | url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mbs | title=Suiattle River Road Conditions | publisher=Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest | access-date=August 5, 2013}} 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.{{cite news | last=Landers | first=Rich | title=Should Image Lake be reopened to crowds of hikers? | periodical=The Spokesman-Review | department=Outdoors | date=August 18, 2013 | place=Spokane, Washington | url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/aug/18/should-image-lake-be-reopened-to-crowds-of-hikers/ | access-date=October 21, 2013}}{{cite web | url=http://hikeoftheweek.com/Image_Lake.html | title=Hike of the Week for Friday, September 3, 2010 | first=Craig | last=Romano | date=September 3, 2010 | access-date=October 21, 2013 | archive-date=October 23, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023005629/http://hikeoftheweek.com/Image_Lake.html | url-status=dead }} 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.

File:Miners Ridge in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.jpg

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. The trail begins by following the Suiattle River, eventually reaching open meadows with views of Glacier Peak. There is also an alpine route that leads from the Miners Ridge Trail to Plummer Mountain,Beckey, p. 383 and a little used trail that leads to Canyon Lake and Totem Pass,{{cite book | last=Woodmansee | first=Mike | title=Trekking Washington | year=2003 | publisher=The Mountaineers Books | place=Emmaus, Pennsylvania | publication-place=Seattle, Washington | page=139 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HerpxfguxnwC&pg=PA139 | access-date=October 24, 2013 | isbn=0-89886-904-8}} which is about {{convert|4|mi|km}} southeast of Dome Peak.

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• List of lakes in Washington (state)

{{Portalbar|Lakes|Mountains|United States}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book | work=Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass | edition=3rd | last=Beckey | first=Fred | authorlink=Fred Beckey | editor1-last=Fulsaas | editor1-first=Kris | editor2-last=Clifton-Thornton | editor2-first=Christine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ukAUElJXPIC | title=Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass — Fred Beckey — Google Books | date=February 1, 2002 | publisher=The Mountaineers Books | isbn=978-1-59485-384-5 | access-date=July 28, 2013| ref=Beckey-ref}}
• {{cite book | last=Kruckeberg | first=Arthur | work=The Natural History of Puget Sound Country | year=1991 | publisher=University of Washington Press | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yqtVmRNdHWwC | title=The Natural History of Puget Sound Country — Arthur R. Krukeberg — Google Books | access-date=November 11, 2013 | isbn=0-295-97477-X | ref=Krukeberg-ref}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/image-lake Image Lake] on the Washington Trails Association website
• New York Times article [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/28/us/fire-lookout-tower-washington.html]

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Category:Lakes of Washington (state)

Category:Lakes of Snohomish County, Washington

Category:North Cascades of Washington (state)