Pothole, Bertha May, and Granite Lakes
Region: South Cascades and Mount Rainier
Roundtrip Miles: 4.0
Elevation Gain (feet): 600
Best Month(s): August
Hikeable: July-October
Trailhead Coordinates: 46.7069, -121.9370
Pass: NW Forest
Features: mountain views, lake, fall foliage
Water: if you bring a filter, all three lakes offer opportunities to fill up on water
Time: Plan on spending about 2-2.5 hours hiking and 1 hour playing at the lakes
Summary: This is one of my favorite hikes! It’s got a view of Mount Rainier within the first 5 minutes of hiking, 3 beautiful sub-alpine lakes, and a mostly easy trail that wasn’t busy even when we went on a weekend. If you take the Teeley Creek Trail #251, starting at coordinates listed above, you get to hit all three lakes. If you use the trailhead up the road, you miss the first lake. You’ll reach the first lake, Pothole, in about 15 minutes of hiking. The second lake, Bertha May, is about 35 minutes further. The stretch of trail between the first and second lake has most of the elevation gain for the hike so take your time here. Once you reach Bertha May, the hike levels out again. From Bertha May to third lake, Granite, is another 20 minutes or so. There is another view of the mountain at about the 15 minute mark in this stretch. Just before you reach Granite Lake, there is a funky tree that looks like it was bent into a seat. All of the lakes have gorgeous, clear, teal water. We saw sculpin and tadpoles in Granite Lake. There was a fisherman with an inflatable raft in Bertha May Lake, but who knows whether he caught anything! There are half a dozen spots to set up a tent by Granite Lake. The largest spot is elevated for a spectacular view, but it is also right on the trail. There are several smaller spots satellited around this one. Once you cross a tiny stream, there is another campsite that has a short trail down to a nice soft sand bar on the lake. If you keep hiking to the far Northeast corner of the lake, there is another side trail that will take you down to another camping area by the lake. This spot is more shaded, but also has the most privacy. This is where we chose to take a lunch break and play in the lake. The dogs had so much fun! You could do this hike in a shorter amount of time, but this is a great one to take a leisurely approach to. Just enjoy all the sights along your way and make sure to stop at every lake because they all have a slightly different feel. My favorite photos from this hike came from the second lake, Bertha May. The only hazards on this trail are a low foot bridge that has been damaged but is still passable, wasps (particularly along the switchback between Pothole and Bertha May), and the tiniest stream crossing where you might get your feet wet.
Post-hike Food Stop:
- Basecamp Bar and Grill (Ashford): burgers, pizza
Note: The restaurants and breweries denoted with * are potentially dog-friendly for their outdoor seating. Their patio dining may only be open during summer, however. You should always check with each restaurant to see if outdoor space has a separate entrance and if they are willing to accommodate well-behaved dogs. I would never assume just because a place has allowed dogs in the past that this is still the case.