Sheep Lake is a camping area in Wenatchee National Forest that makes for a quick and dirty, yet superb backpacking trip for residents of Washington State. It's really easy to get there, but the payoff is incredible.
It only takes about 45 minutes to get from the parking lot to the campground and lake. The lake is actually more of a spring-fed pond, but provides plenty of tranquil, scenic campsites. If you choose to continue on the trail past Sheep Lake (and you
should), you will gently climb a ridge and find Mt. Rainier looming in the distance. It's huge. Towering there on the horizon, it's almost as if the mountain is watching, looking down on all the surrounding land. The mountain is old, and very, very quiet. Just looking at it gives a sense of calmness, of stillness, and vastness, something markedly absent from daily life.
The Pacific Crest Trail runs through Sheep Lake, and the surrounding area has a lot of potential for extended backpacking trips. There are alpine meadows, glacial melt lakes, and incredible views of the surrounding mountains. There is even some potential to meet people who are near the end of traversing the entire PCT. If you encounter any exceptionally lean and weathered individuals on the trail, ask them where they have been. It's possible they have walked all the way up from Mexico!
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