[Zloi]

A few years ago I hiked into Bear Basin, which is a side trip from the Bare Mt trail off the N Fk Snoqualmie River Rd. There are a number of mines scattered around the basin (8 or so) and I visited only a couple then so I decided to visit a couple others and try to notch Lennox Mt as well. I backpacked into and spent the night at Bear Lake, which was pleasantly non-buggy. The adits I visited are on the way up to the lake, about 4300'. From the Bare Mt trail, you continue straight at a junction for another mile or so on an overgrown but manageable trail to where you have to hop across a stream (before that are 3 bridges in various states of decay over other streams). The adits I visited last time are straight ahead across this stream but just before it a pink ribbon marks where another trail takes off to the left. In about 200 yards it crosses the outlet stream from Bear Lake on some metal pipes and soon you come on a nice campsite. A short distance uphill from that is a boulder field with various rusting mining debris (including a steam donkey) and a couple of easily visible yellow tailings from the adits. I brought a good light with me and since the openings appeared to be in good shape, walked back a ways in each.

The hillside with mining debris and two adits (not visible but their tailings are). The waterfall on the right is the outlet from Bear Lake Just to the right of the adit with no ore car the trail continues steeply uphill through brush to an open slope which leads to Bear Lake. The trail is not hard to follow, but make sure you mark well or memorize where you come out into the open so you can find it again if you come back down that way (you wouldn't want to bushwack that section).

Some kind of mining paraphernalia in the first adit, which had an ore car in the entrance

This adit split into 2 tunnels. The trail to the lake continues just to the right of it

Bear Lake From Bear Lake I ascended to the obvious col and, after a short steep section, gained the ridge above the lake. From there the cirque above Lake Kanim unfolds in front of you (assuming good visibility) though the lake doesn't become visible until part-way across. Lennox is the nubbin on the ridge across.

Snow covered up most of the boulder-size rocks across this basin and made for easy travel until gaining the ridge to the false summit. That had some brushy dwarf-conifer copses that could be mostly circumvented but not completely. Once up the rocky slope to the false summit the rest of the route, above Coney Lake, is easy. It's a long day (took me >3½ hours from the lake to the summit).

Coney Lake. From pictures I've seen of it when not frozen it looks like a gorgeous alpine lake

Panorama from the top

Mt Phelps and Little Phelps from the snow basin. Kanim Lake, headwaters of the N Fk, is just out of sight below the basin Other info: FS 57 (N Fk Snoqualmie River Rd) has been greatly improved since my previous trip. Most of the gaping potholes have been gravel-filled in, at least until you get past the last river crossing. The last 3.1 mile stretch to the Bare Mt TH is a slow, taxing drive. 3-car parking space at the TH.

[contour5]

Great trip report! Bushwhacking from Bear Lake down to the mines is definitely a route that I would not want to repeat…

[Zloi]

I remember reading your trip report back when it was fresh. It partially inspired this trip. You had great photos and luck with running into those 2 guys. Not so lucky with the trail down which, I realized going up from the mines, was crucial to be able to locate again (and it wasn't easy even so). I almost took in the opposite direction your traverse from Bare to the col but I could see from above that the part from the basin to the Bare Mt trail looked like a wall of brush.

[1k]

[Zloi]

Oh yeah, a little sliver. My eyesight--not what it used to be.

[Bramble_Scramble]

Great report! I've been wanting to do Lennox for years. I might try this summer but I'll wait until Coney is melted. Is the road any worse off than usual? Edit: sorry I missed your road conditions report when I posted this. I was able to get my Honda Fit there when I took my donkey engine photo but it sounds like that might be a bad idea now. That donkey engine was really neat. We were looking for it but didn't find it until the way down. The day we were up there the visibility was terrible.

Buena Vista Mining District- donkey engine

[KascadeFlat]

Glad to hear they fixed up FR57 a little bit. We were up there last year in August and there was a water bar that was sketchy but navigable in high clearance 4WD (but of course we saw a Subaru with low profile tires at the TH ). Love this area! Hope to get back there next year to get up to Coney Lake.

[philfort]

The road up to the Bare Mtn trailhead is in pretty rough shape. I took a look on Sunday, did not feel comfortable getting past some deep ruts in my subaru, shortly after the turn off after you drive under a tree. It's also in danger of washing into the river just before that. Hopefully they'll fix it up with the upcoming trail maintenance happening there...

[Bramble_Scramble]

[Zloi]

The last 3-mile section of FS 57 definitely needs help, and sooner rather than later. The first mile is the worst, with water ruts threatening to take the road out altogether. My Crosstrek struggled to get up it. Someone has widened the Bare Mt trail after it emerges from the forest. The first mile or so, over large stones, still sucks and the Bear Basin trail would probably only be some mine-lover's project. There are a number of other mines off that FS 57 road, by the way, at least shown on maps. I'm curious who built the road out to them originally, since the mines well precede the CCC construction era. I am in awe of all the hard work those miners put in and, in most cases, for little gain.

[H. Hound]

Fun area to explore, thanks for the report. Only ever found 4 open Adit's of any length (6 & 7, and I think 3 & 4?), that and a few short prospects. In spring time the mill site is fun to poke around.

[philfort]

How's the Lennox creek trail, the one that goes up the basin to the ridge above Otter falls? I can clearly see traces of it above treeline, but what's it like below treeline? Brush bash?

[ALW Hiker]

[ALW Hiker]

[Kascadia]