Mt. Defiance - Mason Lake

Our Hiking Time: 6h
Total Ascent: 3400ft
Highest Point: 5584ft
Total Distance: 10.5 miles
Location: N 47° 26.1120, W 121° 33.8580
Difficulty: Hard



A sunny summer day with a forecast of clear skies has a way of shaking up the best laid plans, bending them toward mountaintops and lookouts. And so it was that we recently found ourselves once again at Ira Spring Memorial Trail #1038, this time readying ourselves for a trek up to the top of Mt. Defiance by way of Mason Lake.

Since it was first blazed in 1958, the Mason Lake Trail #1038 has had a reputation for being steep and dirty. Over the years thousands of boots had badly eroded the trail, and hikers were forced to negotiate long uphill stretches over rocks and boulders. At the urging of wilderness advocate Ira Spring, a new route was proposed to address the trail damage, the steep grade, and the rocky obstacle course. Between 2003 and 2004, a small army of volunteers in coordination with Forest Service made the trail a reality. With the passing of Spring in 2003, the new trail was dedicated the Ira Spring Memorial Trail.

The trail begins on the bones of a re-purposed fire road, with a grade suitable for conveying heavy machinery up a mountainside. A few streams need to be forded before the trail becomes serious, leaving the young forest behind for a much steeper path up the mountain. The dusty trail moves beyond the pines for ever-larger glimpses at the valley below. Once the trail sheds the last of the trees, enormous views are your compensation for being fully exposed to the elements.

At just under three miles, the Mason Lake Trail and the Bandera Mountain Trail diverge. Continue upward through sub-alpine meadows and talus fields, reaching the Ira Spring Memorial just before the short descent down to Mason Lake. The lakeshore offers an abundance of campsites and the possibility of a refreshing dip before pressing on to the heights of Defiance. At the four mile mark, you hit the Mount Defiance Trail #1009 and things become rough; rotted roots and rocks exposed by the runoff from melting snow make the trail more difficult to navigate. As you gain elevation you will eventually emerge onto the meadows of Mt. Defiance, famously brimming with lush fields of wildflowers in the late spring and early summer. Watch for a small rock cairn marking the spur to the summit.

The spur is more of a goat-trail chipped straight from the mountain face on a direct route to the summit where you are richly rewarded with panoramic views of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness as well as a birds-eye view of the Snoqualmie Valley below. On the best of days five volcanic peaks can been seen: Adams, Baker, Glacier, Rainier and St. Helens. Lakes are liberally sprinkled throughout the bowl between Bandera and Defiance - the largest is Lake Kulla Kulla, with Blazer Lake and Rainbow Lake just to the east. Little Mason Lake is nestled under the now familiar Mason Lake. To the northeast you can make out a portion of Pratt Lake resting at the base of Pratt Mountain. Cast an eye across I-90 to look down on craggy McClellan Butte. To the west, a treeless ridge known as West Defiance extends out from the summit, looming over Spider Lake below.

To get there, take I-90 to Exit 45, going left under the freeway to Forest Road 9030. Follow FR 9030 for about a mile until the road splits. Veer left onto FR 9031 and follow it for two more miles until the road terminates in a parking lot. Northwest Forest Pass required. - Nathan

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