Had a Nice Hike! The hike was really enjoyable, mostly shaded which was a plus. I went in mid-June and found quite a bit of snow at the top. I'd recommend aiming for late summer to avoid the snowy patches and make the most of the trail. read more

Gothic Basin - Hiking Near Me

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Amazing, beautiful, hard, but worth it hike. We started a little late into the day, which caused us to rush at the top to get back down, I would suggest leaving early in the morning. It's a leg burner, prep accordingly with hiking boots and lots of water. We took a lunch as well, that was nice to enjoy at the top. The views are spectacular, take your time hiking up and down, really enjoy it. read more

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Came on a Saturday morning, arrived to the parking lot around 10:40AM, snagged a spot in the parking lot, lots of cars. Hike was flat until it wasn't, and then it was really steep for a while, had a few stream crossings. It became less steep towards the top, didn't encounter many bugs, no snow, lots of backpackers / campers and once I reached the top, I could see why. Views were alright, the lake is pretty small, not super pretty. Quite a few people on the trail, lots of tents at the top too. Took 2.5 hrs up, sat at the top for almost an hour, went down in 2.5 hrs, glad I had my hiking poles for the really steep part on the way down. read more

Gothic Basin - What a beauty. Washington Trail Association says this hike has altitude gain of 2840 feet and round trip is 9.2 miles. It not only feels more than that for altitude gain and round trip miles but it is more. It was my first time hiking this trail. We parked along the side of the road ~.5 miles from the sign at the trail head. From this sign to the beginning of the actual hike seems to about one mile. Once the hike starts, parts of it is along the river, it makes for a nice view. There are multiple (feels like 100s) switchbacks in the beginning. After the switchbacks, the trail gets rockier. There is some scrambling involved. There are ~ three water falls along the way. There were also a few very muddy areas, this could be dangerous where the trail is very narrow. So narrow that only one person can walk in that portion, there are many patches on the trail like this. This hike is not easy but when you pause to take in the views of rocks strewn, trees, wild flowers, birds chirping, sound of water gushing at the water falls etc, it makes it all worth it. At times it felt like it was going never ending hike and we kept walking, climbing, hiking and scrambling. But when you first see the basin, the blue of the water is one of the most beautiful and serene I've ever seen. You can see the bottom. Most amazing hike till date :) So glad we did it. read more

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Whoa, what a hike! I will have to add some of my stellar photos, but whoa! That said, this hike is not for the faint of heart. I think the mileage to the top and back was about 8-9 miles (check WTA or Alltrails), which is a stretch for my norm, but on top of that, my partner and I went on a day after peak season. What this meant is that the trail was a bit stream-like, adding the need to maneuver a bit and hop side to side to avoid getting soaked feet. (Nope, I didn't wear something waterproof, but I did bring a raincoat.) Also, the river that we eventually hit was a bit... big, but we had passed some hikers who told us the trick to get across... where some other hiker had laid down some branches like a human beaver. At the top, it was breathtaking, both in its LOTR-style beauty with rocks and horizon and its chill -- as in the way you could look around and see the wind sweeping to and from little bushes on its way to the trees. We had thought about camping that day, but I chickened out, which was a good thing because of the difficulty of the hike (um, also carry camping gear, no thank you) and the temperature. We huddled behind a rock for some cover for a bit while we stretched and took in mother Earth, but soon had to start our journey down back to the land of hot cocoa. Bottom line: If you want an exceptional hike and can take the elevation and, if going off-season, streamy trail, go, go, go! read more

It is a challenging hike, with muddy trails, narrow ledges, thick tree roots, rocky trails, and vertical rocky walls. There were be a few times you'll have to 'scramble', and literally climb on rocks. There are several steep switchbacks, and having hiking poles are very useful! It will be worth it once you get to the top, and you'll be greeted with a great basin with various ponds and lake. This can be a day hike, but it's encouraged you start early, at least by 8 AM at the trailhead. However, I definitely go back to do overnight camping. Though it's challenging, there's so many people on this trail! read more

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One of the hardest hikes that I have ever done with the BEST VIEWS that I have ever seen. I was not prepared for how physically and mentally challenging this trek was. Washington Trail Association states that it was 9 miles round trip with 2840 ft elevation gain. I thought to myself how hard can less than 3000 ft elevation gain in 4.5 miles going up be? Never underestimate any hike. It's not all about the elevation gain but also how difficult the trail is as well. Difficulty: HARD Round Trip: 9 miles (That does not include the trip from the parking lot to the actual trail head. That does not also include the trip to Foggy Lake) Elevation Gain: 2840 ft (It certainly feels like there was so much more elevation gain!) Time: 3.5 hours up, 2.5 hours down Drive: About 2 hours coming from Seattle. The drive is simple and straightforward. The trail is right off Mountain Loop Hwy. No gravel road or potholes of any kind. Parking: There is a small parking lot right across from Barlow Pass. The lot can fit around 10 cars. Trail: Passing the metal gate just south of the parking lot is where the adventure start. For about 1-1.5 miles is an old gravel road that parallels to the Sauk River (This part is NOT included in the 9 mile round trip) You will first pass the Monte Cristo trail head first. Keep walking until the trail comes to a fork. You will proceed to the right going into the forest until you see the trail head for "Weden Creek/Gothic Basin #724". There is also an old outhouse. Proceed past the sign for a little bit and then you will then see a large sign for the "Weden Creek Trail". This is your destination. This part was very confusing for my group and I. We weren't sure if we were going the right way. Good thing that I had screenshot the description. The trail starts off with a gentle grade incline through the sheltering forest for about a mile. A couple of small stream crossings will be passed. About 1.5 miles into the trail, a series of switchbacks (about 20) will begin. The switchbacks are moderate at first then the incline starts to ascend pretty dramatically. Some of the steepest switchbacks that I have ever hiked. Leading out of the forest, you will arrive at the first major waterfall. Continue onward and upward crossing to the left of the waterfall. The trail then begins to get extremely rough and rocky continuing this way throughout the rest of the hike. Some of the pathway are very narrow, hugging the edge of the mountain with thick overgrowth. The final ascend into the basin was very steep amongst rocks and flat boulders. Some of the roughest terrains ever. You will then arrive at Gothic Basin when you see a small lake surrounded by numerous peaks at 4.5 miles into the hike. The hike to Foggy Lake was about 20 minutes past Gothic Basin. It is probably about half a mile away with another 500 ft of additional elevation gain. There was not a clear trail to the lake. We had to ask those that are climbing back which direction to take or else we would have probably never found it. One of my friends climb several peaks from the basin to see if he can catch a glimpse of the lake but there was no luck. To get to the lake we had to walk very steeply up along 3 ridges of rocks and boulders. You will not see any views at the base of Gothic Basin. The higher you go, the better the views get. After reaching the top of the first ridge the view was magnificent seeing the small lake on the bottom and the different surrounding mountains/peaks. The view was worth the difficult journey. Foggy Lake is very nice. You will not see much green as it is surrounded by rock formations. There were still some snow melting into the lake. There was a slight wind and the water was freezing. That was very refreshing since it was such a hot day and I was drenched in sweat from the journey up. The overall distance is 1-1.5 miles from the parking lot to the trail head. 4.5 miles to Gothic Basin. Another .5 mile to Foggy Lake. Total of 12-13 miles round trip! This hike was mentally draining because you are constantly trekking over rocks, boulders and walking/climbing steeply over ridges without knowing if you are close to the end. However, all breathtaking views come with a challenge! Bugs: Annoying!! Bring bug spray. *Northwest Forest Pass required* read more

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I am giving the trail a 3 rating but the actual view of Gothic Basin of five rating, thus four average rating. The hike starts off on Logging Road and after one mile all the trail does is climb up. The second my of the hike was deep and mostly dirt in tree roots. The last two miles of the hike on the way up wa. full of rock scrambles. There was so much scrambling that you definitely had to use your hands to pull yourself up. When I first got to the Basin, I was quite unimpressed. But I was missing out if I had not walked around. So once you get to the top of the ridge of the trail, walk into the Basin but go more left. There you will find a more vows of rocks and lakes. I am glad I did not leave immediately after lunch. read more

Gothic Basin - Hiking Near Me