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A Day Hike to Eightmile Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness


Eightmile Lake is an easy out-and-back day hike located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, not too far from The Enchantments. This is a great hike for catching fall foliage, the aftermath of a previous wildfire, and an amazing alpine lake view at the end.


 

Adventure Stats

Hiked on: October 22, 2022

Trip Type: Day Hike

Hike Time: <3hrs, minimal stops except for pictures

Weather: 28F/21F cloudy

Popularity: Low, I ran into maybe 12 other hikers

Route Finding: Easy

Trail Hazards: None

Bug Pressure: None

Key Features: Mountains, lakes, fall colors

 

Route

Distance: 6.2mi out-and-back

Elevation: +1374ft/-1390ft

Location: Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Direct Link to Trailhead: Google Maps


Here's the hike on a few different platforms:


A topographic map with a route (red) from a road to Eightmile Lake
Route (out-and-back) from northeast to southwest
Charts indicating trail profile, distance, elevation, slope angle, land cover, tree cover, and aspect
More Stats -- Profile is all uphill on the way up, limited tree coverage
 

Trail Report

The road leading up to the trailhead is an unpaved dirt road with lots of exposed rocks. The road was bumpy but doable. There was no ice or snow on the road leading up to the trailhead at the time of writing, chains were not yet necessary.


The parking lot is just across the street from the trailhead. It's big enough to accommodate about a dozen cars. I arrived at 3pm on a Saturday in late October and there were plenty of parking spots. In order to park here, you are required to have a Northwest Forest Pass or equivalent. I used an America the Beautiful (national park) interagency pass.


For anyone who had to travel far to get to the trailhead like me, there is a vault toilet near the parking lot.


Despite it's name, the trail to Eightmile Lake was only about 3.5miles each way. The trail to the lake was sustained uphill almost the entire way, but the steepness was very manageable.


Wooden sign that reads, "EIGHTMILE LAKE TR. NO. 1552" in the middle of a forest.
Sign at the trailhead

The first mile of the trail is through autumn foliage. I passed through a few small groves of aspens with golden leaves. There were no larches present on the hike, and you won't expect to see bright red and orange fall colors.

A mountainside with a mix of yellow aspens, green pine trees, and burnt trees.
All the aspen trees are a beautiful bright shade of gold this time of year

About 1 to 2 miles in, the trail goes through a section of the forest previously affected by wildfires. It was quite breathtaking to see the scorch-marks left behind on the trees.

Dead tree trunk with the top broken off and the lower third of it scorched.  Golden aspens and green pines are in the background.
Fascinating how the wildfires affected this tree

At about 3 miles in, I reached Mini Eightmile Lake. At this elevation, I began to see slight dusting of snow on the shrubs near the trail. It also just barely began to snow.

A small lake. There are downed trees and driftwood in the foreground. In the background are golden aspens and green pines along the lakeshore. Behind the lake are mountains with a slight dusting of snow.
Mini Eightmile Lake, just before the big one

Eightmile Lake was just another half mile away. I took an offshoot from the trail to get down to the shore, which was covered in driftwood. The views at the shore were not to be missed!

A lake. In the foreground is a large brown cracked square-shaped rock. On the left-side shore of the lake, there is a lot of driftwood. In the background are large mountains with golden aspens, green pines, previously burnt trees, and a light dusting of fresh snow.
Eightmile Lake in all its stunning glory!

The way back was entirely downhill with some good views of autumn colors.


Clothing & gear recommendations: Between miles 1-3, there are exposed dry shrubs that can be scratchy, long pants are recommended. At these temperatures, I recommend packing warm clothes in a day pack. By the time I finished up my hike, I wish I had gloves.

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Hi There!

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I'm Sarah, and I'm a backpacker based out of Washington State.

 

I started this blog in 2022 to share the best hiker-oriented destinations for others to enjoy one weekend at a time.

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