I have been saying for many years that I would get to Blanca Lake, and it wasn’t until the end of August 2016 that I finally did so. I left early morning with my brother and his dog, which we haven’t hiked together in probably well over a decade. We reached NF-63 road which is now marked as the new trailhead. NF-63 washed out and there is no known date when it may be fixed. It’s still passable by foot and does add another two miles or so each direction.
We made the easy trek up the road to where the original trailhead starts. Had a sip of water and into the woods we went. The trail starts off easy as you pass some decent sized trees and a lot of moss. It wasn’t long before I appreciated the trees and the shade they provided. The trail quickly shoots up and we hit the first of 30 plus switchbacks gaining 3,000 feet in just under three miles.
While the switchbacks seemed to never stop, we were rewarded plenty of huckleberry bushes along the trail, fresh berries never disappoint. It wasn’t too long before we reached the ridge line and on a clear day like we had on this day, you can see Glacier Peak in the distance. Shortly after this view you drop down into a stagnant Virgin Lake which has no inlet or outlet and is made up of just snowmelt and rain water. This primarly where people camp as you cannot camp within two hundred feet of the lake.
We continued on knowing about a place where we could camp that was more than two hundred feet away. After Virgin Lake, it’s all downhill from here. We dropped 600 feet in just 0.6 miles. Right before you get to the bottom, if you look to your right, a breathtaking view of Blanca Lake will appear. The lake is surrounded by Monte Cristo, Columbia, and Keyes peaks. Across the lake you can see the Columbia Glacier which drains into the lake which helps give it a beautful color that you won’t see in most lakes around the area.
After spending some time at the lake, we crossed the logs where the lake drains out and headed down a less traveled path by people. We cut off to the left and away from the lake until we reached a location where we could camp that was far enough away from the lake as required.
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