[MLHSN]

Lake Victoria length: 4.5 mi. one-way gain: 3650' Dan and I stepped off around 6:30 pm on Friday in the hopes of making it to Victoria by dark. The path follows an old fishermen's trail straight up the north side of Mount Cashmere. The trail appears to have once been an official Forest service trail at one point in time judging by the TH sign and signs at the lake as well as a privy near the camping site. However, the trail has long since been abandoned. Much of the area containing the trail was burned badly in 2004 and in some sections little vegetation has returned.

First Autostich, Victoria reflection

It is very problematic reaching the TH. Individuals must either: cross the Icicle Cr. (hopefully in the fall), go past numerous No Trespassing signs posted on the gated logging road, or bushwhack around the small parcels of private land to reach the FS land on the other side. Once at the TH, Dan and I followed an old logging road up until leaving the road on a badly maintained trail well taped for part of the way. However, the tape disappears partly up in a burn area with no vegetation and numerous game trails that make following an actual trail impossible. The route follows a spur to the North of Victoria Cr. In a previous trip we wondered to close to the creek and were eventually funneled into a mess of slide alder and boulders. This time we stayed to the spur for to long and ended up above a cliff band that didn't allow us to reach the trail which traverses the creek drainage and climbs up a boulder field to the lake. We found a rather nasty ravine in which we had to scramble down by means of branch belays back to the trail were we eventually picked the taped passage back up. Once arriving after dark, we set up camp to arise early and float the lake. We spent a leisurly afternoon lazing around the lake and enjoying the great weather. The bugs were pretty mild considering the time of year.

light headed

Below is a map with this trip's route in Blue, last years route in Red, and the proper route in yellow.

Victoria Map

[Backpacker Joe]

Well, how was the fishing?

[MLHSN]

biggest Marlin I ever saw....

[Flower Sniffer]

That's sweet! I used to have one of those Sevlor backpack boats! Well, I still do, but it's got a hole in it from when someone who won't be named tied it to a tree in a wind storm. Anyway, those pics bring back memories! Thanks!

[mntsun]

Good work on flotation and avoiding the Cashmere Mozzies. Over the weekend Eightmile Lake was nearly bug free but Lake Caroline up to Windy Pass was one of the worser mozzie bite fests I've experienced. We did see some successful Lake Caroline fisherman (in the requisite bug netting).

[Ashleynne]

I don’t suppose you will be going back this summer? I might of missed it in the thread but was wanting to know the mileage and elevation gain approximately.

[MLHSN]

Well, this was 16 years ago so my memory fades a bit. About 4-4.5 miles and 3600' gain. Last I went was after a fire and the trail had pretty much disappeared. I've heard through the grapevine that the old footpath has improved with an uptick in traffic. I don't plan on going back this summer or for a while. Going in for back fusion surgery soon and will be out of action for the summer.

[zimmertr]

I got 7 miles and 3,563' when I went in 2021. Make sure you look into property ownership before you go. The route wasn't very hard to follow, but the middle section of the climb is very exposed to the sun and there are dozens of down trees from the burn. It's a pretty lake.

EDIT: Removed links to avoid drama. DM me if you want them.

[Ashleynne]

I don’t suppose you have any interest going back and letting me tag along with you? I have so much interest in off trails but would like the company and safety of having another with me!

[zimmertr]

Sure, maybe once summer comes. Where do you live approximately? Feel free to DM me, my girlfriend and I are always looking for more hiking/backpacking friends. For what it's worth though, this is about as easy as route finding gets. You can still find traces of the trail for almost all of it. I remember one spot where the route crossed a talus field that was a little tricky but that's it. I think you would be fine as long as you have the stamina and are able to route find while you're there. (Carry a map/compass or prepare a GPX file and bring a GPS enabled device with downloaded topographic data) I hyperlinked my Strava activity above, you should be able to harvest my GPX file from it. Also, while you're at it, look up Chikamin Lake and Lake Ida EDIT: Removed links to avoid drama. DM me if you want them.

[Bootpathguy]

[Worthington]

It's a free country, but any chance a huge "pretty please" would help convince you to remove your "Lake Eye Duh" tracks and gps trails from the internet and this link? Please?

[Sculpin]

This TR feels like it's right in the NWHikers sweet spot, a ridiculously difficult route to a really nice place.

[zimmertr]

[KascadeFlat]

I'll throw my hat in the ring for a Lake Victoria trip. My regular trip partner is getting married in August so I will be partner-less in prime time this year. This area has been on my list for a long time. I can bring my route finding experience, endless patience for navigating burns, and two pack rafts (but someone else has to carry one).