[Hulksmash]

Decided to give Isabel a shot again. I've made a two attempts this winter. Both i turned back due to bad snow conditions. This time i was determined not to fail. This with recent rain in lower elevations, a layer of slimy slush at mid elevations, and a slippery layer of snow at higher elevations. I slipped and stumbled the entire trip. The approach to near the base of the falls which in the past only took me an hour to reach. Took two and a half cause of the slippery conditions. Things improved once reaching the lightly forest slope near the base of the falls. Thanks to, and no thanks to deep drifts of snow. I failed to bring my ice axe. And I only had a pair of Yak Tracks. I did attempt to use the Yak Tracks. Once on the steeper heavier forested slope the Yak Tracks ended up around my ankles.

Yak Tracks Abuse

The Yak Tracks tangled around my ankles did not bother me at the time because my legs were numb from the cold wade through the snow drifts. And i do mean wade. I noticed a bizzar snow condition. Just before the snow drifts on the less forested slope, the snow is only 3 to 6 inches deep. Then suddenly it is 6 or 7 feet deep. Then in heavier forest it's only a foot deep. I did notice that less forested slope is only a few degrees east of being directly across from Isabel falls The final five hundred feet from the lake, the most difficult part of the trip, took about an hour to navigate. But i made it

LK Isabel pano

Nice view isn't it. No that's not a B&W photo. I took some time examine the tool box to see how well bolted down it is.

The Trash Box

Still full of trash I did bring a trash bag with the intention of hauling some of that out. But it is currently a cryogenically frozen monolith. I quickly ruled out chipping it out with my trekking pole. Don't know how empty those butane stove, and vodka containers are. That's not my preferred method of thawing the trash. I know the Forest Service reads NWhikers trip reports. So here's a message.. I will be pestering you about that tool box, turned dumpster again when the weather improves. Stopped for another photo op on the way down next to the falls.

Isabel Falls

I didn't too close to that rock face this time. I was braced against a stump to get that shot. I never bothered to remove my Yak Tracks until i returned to the Jeep. That was also about the time my legs began to thaw. Trust me you don't want to keep them around your ankles They were so entangled with my shoe laces i had to cut them off.

Lk Isabel

On the way out i sopped at the Espresso Chalet just past the Hwy 2 Index for a hot drink to complete the thawing process.

[GeoHiker]

Thanks for the great report. Rousing endorsement for Yaks!..... Isabel has been one of those places that time forgot. Navigating the motorcycle/4x4 gauntlet keeps out all but the very determined. It's been 2-3 years since I was up there, so was interested in your route. Does that trail appear to be recently built or another motorcycle trail that developed? I've gone in that way, but crossed on the chainlink bridge and then up to the old road. How's the road to the TH doing? Last spring it was pretty beat up, so couldn't get up there in my Honda.

[Jimbo]

Great T/R Hulksmash, Geohiker your not going to make it up there now in your car. I've never seen it so bad and I'm sure it's going to be worse next year.

[Hulksmash]

Despite the horrible road conditions is still routinely see Subaru's, VW jettas, and passats, honda's and toyotas. At the corner of the switch back before the mines. After that point don't bother with a passenger car. Even with my jeep, i can't drive that section of road any faster than walking. It's bad. I should mention. The red line on the map is an actual GPS track. With the exception a half mile next to the lake, it is all trail. It is a motorcycle tail it actually starts out at the end of the road above the mines. But there is a faint connector trail about fifty yards in at the road switch back next to the mine. Some one is going through great lengths to maintain the trail. They are regularly putting logs in the connector tail to prevent motorcycles from just ripping up the hill side. As a test i put a couple of logs across the trail on the way in. Well on the way out the logs were removed. In addition to some one had filled in and packed, a couple of rut's that a careless motorcyclist with a heavy throttle hand created. What non ORV types don't realize or even see. Is the organized ORV groups are extremely active in trying to keep users on existing trails. They work with closely with the DNR, to put up barriers to keep casual ORV'rs out of areas that they should not be in.

[Jimbo]

And this is the MAIN reason this place has stayed open for us. Thanks for the GOOD input Hulksmash. Don't forget first weekend of May is clean up and FREE LUNCH up there Last years clean up party. https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7966591&highlight=jimbo

[Spotly]

[Hulksmash]

Thank's for the reminder Jimbo. I'm hoping for the snow to be melted out by May. That date is rapidly approaching. I've been planning on posting an appeal for help cleaning up the area around the lake. I don't want to do it too early, in the fear it may be forgotten. IF you read the this trip report again i put this in the report.

[Jimbo]

Ya those Dang hikers are mess makers for sure.. Well I've not been there yet but have it on the list for this year. And I'll be more than happy to help ya chuck it over the cliff. There's a plane on the bottom of that lake still to, last I herd they were afraid of full/oil and battery leakage. Guess out of site out of mind.

[Hulksmash]

Here's a vid i shot of the falls. It just dose not look as steep in photo's or vid Sure gets pixleated after it gets uploaded.

[Scrooge]

Hulksmash said

[Jimbo]

Plenty steep and tall enough to huck it over.

[Bloated Chipmunk]

Thanks for the TR. A couple yrs. ago we didn't quite make it to the lk. as we wasted a bunch of time getting mixed up on all the dirtbike trails & eventually found ourselves fording a creek & then scrambling up a small stream, ultimately running out of time. On the way down we found the real trail. I've always wanted to go back & make things right. Todd's been wanting to head up there so we may do that soon, & use your TR/map as a reference.

[GeoHiker]

I'm shocked that the FS would have no idea what's going on up there. The garbage and mess at Isabel isn't anything new. The lockbox was actually locked when I was up there in Feb 05. I could pull up the lid about 1 inch and peek inside. It was full of garbage and old waders. Someone had lit it on fire, so the waders were melted and a mess. From what I heard there was a company that did a site survey and prep work back about 10 years ago for the development of a power station. I think that's all the funky equipment and gauges that were put in. Isabel has always been a popular fly in site with the float planes, so that's where some of the boats came from. My first time to Isabel was about 1968. You could drive a passenger car to about 3/4 mile from the lake. Small parking area and official FS trail. Area was logged off in the mid 60's up above and to SE of the lake, so the regular trail was a bit trashed and it was a wide open slope. FS gave up on the trail after that. Tons of little fir trees growing up, but not high enough for shade, so it was HOT as hell in the summer and a nasty wet wade through in rain. Floods in 69 and 70 did a number to the road, so after about 72 it progressively got worse and worse. Actually much of that area is in far better shape than it was back in the 70's-80's. The ORV people have done a good job of rehabbing trails and keeping the area under control.

[Jimbo]

Good info, I drove my 68 Lemans up past Deer Flats till it was 4X4 time. Herd it went to a lake. That was in the early 80's. Well next time someone is headed up there for a day gig let me know. I'd like to tag along, There's some mines up there to.

[Hulksmash]

Jimbo....If i had a dollar for every time i heard there was a lake some where at or near deer creek flat i would be a rich man. I've wheeled up there. I have never found a lake. There is something that might pass for a lake below the flat, just adjacent to the power lines. One look at satellite photos pretty much kills any ideas about a lake past deer creek flat. Unless there is some sort of ORV trail to dollar lakes but i seriously doubt that. I don't think there is any sort of ORV with those kind of capabilities