Hope & Mig Lakes via Tunnel Creek Trail #1061
Take a stroll through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness to reach this diminutive pair of tarns tucked into mountaintop meadows.
Total Distance: 4.2 miles
Total Ascent: 1500ft
Highest Point: 4700ft
Total Ascent: 1500ft
Highest Point: 4700ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Our Hiking Time: 2h 10m
Required Permit: None
Our Hiking Time: 2h 10m
Required Permit: None
To get there, take US 2 out to milepost 60. Just beyond the milepost, as the highway begins to turn sharply to the left, you will cross over Tunnel Creek and find FR 6095 on your right. Take a right, following FR 6095 1.2 miles to an intersection. Veer left and find the marked trailhead within a few hundred feet. View Google Directions >>
The Tunnel Creek Trail #1061 begins by climbing up onto the shoulders of the mountainside into a mature forest. The climbing never really stops until you reach Hope Lake, alternating between switchbacks and traversing ever upward. After about 1.5 miles cross into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and not long after reach the shores of Hope Lake as the route joins the Pacific Crest Trail.
From Hope Lake, head left along the PCT, quickly leaving dense forest behind. If you’re heading up in the late spring or early summer, expect to see this area brimming with wildflowers and buzzing with bees. Later in the season you’ll find plenty of huckleberries. After .5 miles find yourself at Mig Lake, quietly nestled at the base of a small prominence.
Looking for more? Continue onward to find Swimming Deer Lake in about a mile and beyond that Josephine Lake at 4.3 miles from the trailhead.There's a lot more to Hope & Mig Lakes, and you can learn all about it in Alpine Lakes Wilderness: The Complete Hiking Guide. You'll find a trail map, route descriptions, history, and more for this and many other hikes throughout the State. Help support hikingwithmybrother.com and the work we do by picking up a copy!
From Hope Lake, head left along the PCT, quickly leaving dense forest behind. If you’re heading up in the late spring or early summer, expect to see this area brimming with wildflowers and buzzing with bees. Later in the season you’ll find plenty of huckleberries. After .5 miles find yourself at Mig Lake, quietly nestled at the base of a small prominence.
Looking for more? Continue onward to find Swimming Deer Lake in about a mile and beyond that Josephine Lake at 4.3 miles from the trailhead.There's a lot more to Hope & Mig Lakes, and you can learn all about it in Alpine Lakes Wilderness: The Complete Hiking Guide. You'll find a trail map, route descriptions, history, and more for this and many other hikes throughout the State. Help support hikingwithmybrother.com and the work we do by picking up a copy!
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