Lake Ingalls is located near Cle Elum in the Wenatchee National Forest of Washington State's Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. It's only a couple of hours from Seattle and a world away mentally. We headed up Friday late afternoon for an overnight at the meadow campground. Despite a full parking lot, the area felt uncrowded until Saturday as we were leaving. Lots of climbers headed for Ingalls Peak and Mt Stuart. Lots of day-hikers. There's a group of ~15 goats hanging around the camp that make their rounds to each of the sites and they are completely unintimidated by you.
The area around Mt Stuart has it's own unique climate that changes all the time. The lake itself was under clouds for most of the time we were there, but that area is beautiful regardless of the weather. A deep valley separates Lake Ingalls from Mt Stuart and clouds often flow in from the north as was the case the second morning, making a pretty cool time-lapse. Look closely at the beginning and you'll see a couple of goats running into the frame.
The hike up to the lake from the campground is easy to do if you pay close attention to the cairns marking the path. Much of the trail is only rock and it's easy to get lost in the beauty of the area and find yourself on a boulder with no clear exit. The same is true once you arrive at the lake if you select (highly recommended) to skirt around to the other side. It's a boulder-hopping scramble, but it's totally possible and well worth the effort.
The opposite side of the lake is stunning to me. It looks like Disney Imagineers designed it to look like the ideal landscape. On a cloudy day such as this you can still see how clear and reflective the water is. Check out the trail report from my trip last year to see what the area looks like in the sun. Amazing.
Map & Stats
Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area
Trailhead: 4260 ft
Lake Ingalls: 6470 ft
Distance from the trailhead to the lake: 4.5 mi
No dogs allowed
Parking requires a Northwest Forest Pass