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Grinch
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Grinch
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 10:23 am 
I am looking for suggestions for low elevation overnight hikes within about 90 minutes of Issaquah. I will be taking a group of young Boy Scouts on March 23-24 who have minimal hiking and camping experience, so minimal snow would be nice. The hike in should only be a couple of miles since we will not hit the trail until about 6 at night on a Friday. Saturday will hopefully be in an area to do a longer day hike. If nothing else car camping ideas where there are day hikes would be a second option. Thanks for any help you all can offer.

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Backpacker Joe
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 10:27 am 
Its a rough time of year for that brother. Im not sure I know of a place close. There certainly are valleys in the Olympics. Even most of the logging road areas near Issaquah are snowed in these days. Ill think about ut.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Backpackapalooza
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 11:11 am 
You could try Deception Pass state park. Not a hike in but offers many loop options for the next day and the setting is stunning.

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T Mary
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 11:16 am 
How about Umtanum Canyon on the east side of the mountains? Less than 2 hour drive from Issaquah, and you might see bighorn sheep. The canyon is a great place to explore.

"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
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HikerJohn
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 11:26 am 
Try Tolt-Macdonald King County Park... the campgrounds are on the west side of the River and you have to hike in to them. Not generally a long hike, BUT you can mix things up by dropping them in some slightly more distant location and have them navigate to the campsite. PM me your email address and I can send you a map of what I'm thinking about...

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Gray
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 1:01 pm 
Backpackapalooza wrote:
You could try Deception Pass state park. Not a hike in but offers many loop options for the next day and the setting is stunning.
If you go this route, make reservations before you leave. There is only a VERY limited time window that you can get walk-up reservations. The only CG open there is ...uh... Quarry Pond? I went up a few weeks ago intending on spending the night, and due to the basic ugliness of all the sites at Quarry Pond (the only ones that had any scenic value at all were reservation only), and the ridiculous fee, I ended up staying at Fort Ebey SP, iirc. Same fee, but much more scenic. --Gray

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Schroder
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 1:12 pm 
There are small campgrounds at Lizard and Lily Lakes on Blanchard Mountain. A couple of easy miles on trail from the upper parking lot. Discover Pass required.

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Snowbrushy
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 1:28 pm 
Grinch wrote:
I will be taking a group of young Boy Scouts on March 23-24
Unless they like snow camping. I was a Cub Scout/Boy Scout who started getting out in that window and we mostly went to Deception Pass State Park to go through our gear for the 50 mile hike later that summer. Only a couple of times did we go snow backpacking like Annete Lake usually with challenging results because of our poor equipe.

Oh Pilot of the storm who leaves no trace Like thoughts inside a dream Heed the path that led me to that place Yellow desert stream.
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Grinch
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 1:51 pm 
Are there places to camp in Umtanum canyon? I have never been in that area.

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Snowbrushy
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 2:08 pm 
Grinch wrote:
Are there places to camp in Umtanum canyon? I have never been in that area.
What training and gear does your crew have? What experience do the leaders have? Will there be newbies along? Are you watching the weather? I'm on your side Grinch.

Oh Pilot of the storm who leaves no trace Like thoughts inside a dream Heed the path that led me to that place Yellow desert stream.
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delvxe
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 2:56 pm 
Umtanum is a great choice, low possibility of snow, almost zero elevation, and you can hike as much or little as your group likes. The canyon alternates between narrower sections and more open sections where you could easily pitch a few tents. There are also a couple of more established camp sites with fire rings, but I don’t think fires are permitted. It is a dry grassy area which I guess would be prone to bad things happening. The other possibility is Pete Lake, but that may be under snow this time of year. It is a popular scouting destination (I took a group of Girl Scouts there last year). About 5 miles, minimal elevation, and a lake with generous, well-established sites that could tolerate a bunch of scouts more easily than some others.

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Schroder
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 2:57 pm 
Ancient lakes also in that direction.

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Grinch
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 3:04 pm 
I have been climbing and hiking for about 38 years including summits all the major volcanoes from California to Canada. The other leaders have been doing close to the same. Leadership is very experienced. 2 of the leaders have MOFA certification. The boys are another story, some of them have less than 6 campouts under their belts, many of them were car camping. I would do a snow campout except I know 2 of the boys who wouldn't do very good and don't have sufficient equipment yet. These boys have done a number of day hikes in the 5-10 mile range. We are building towards a 50 mile hike in late July. This will be the 25th year I have taken scouts on a 50 mile hike. With any of our outings I usually plan multiple alternative locations then choose last minute based on weather and which boys commit to going.

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BigBear
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 4:15 pm 
delvxe wrote:
The other possibility is Pete Lake, but that may be under snow this time of year. It is a popular scouting destination (I took a group of Girl Scouts there last year). About 5 miles, minimal elevation, and a lake with generous, well-established sites that could tolerate a bunch of scouts more easily than some others.
Thats under about 10 feet of snow right now and it would be a 6 mile road walk to the trailhead. So no, don't even think about it. The snakes are out in the Umtanum, just so you know.

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kite
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PostThu Mar 08, 2012 6:19 pm 
I was up Umtanum creek weekend before last and had a lot of ice on the trail but nice. https://picasaweb.google.com/100094681587997126638/120225UmtanumCreekCanyon?authuser=0&feat=directlink Ancient lake from December https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7995767&highlight=

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