FS-75 to Lonesome Lake

4.3/5 (35 reviews)
Greenwater, Washington (Pierce County)
Last Updated: 06/15/2022

Trail Information

Highlights

Lonesome Lake is a beautiful crystal clear alpine lake that is located at the top of FR-75. The name of the lake was adopted in the winter of 1935 when a young couple that made many trips to the lake got in a huge quarrel and split up. While Johnie and Clyde were split, Clyde went to the lake where he ended up snowed in with 8 feet of snow. While sitting lonesome by the fire one night he grabbed a piece of steel heated it up and wrote the words, "Lonesome Lake" on a piece of wood and nailed it to a tree. The name took like glue and today the lake is visited by more than 4000 people per year. The incredible views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding Cascade Mountian range make this 15-mile trip well worth the time. On a clear day, there will be many opportunities to take some stunning photos of majestic Mount Rainier.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4.3/5 (35)
900
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 01/14/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

This is a very popular trail for snow wheeling. Some stop to day camp at Haller Pass and some push to Lonesome Lake, but either way it can get pretty busy on nicer winter weekends. Up until Haller Pass there are plenty of places to pull off and allow opposing traffic to pass, but it is not uncommon to get behind large groups with many vehicles or less prepared / less capable parties. Sometimes a little patience is required, especially on the way down at the end of the day. On 1/14/23 I went to Haller Pass only and the snow level was much higher than normal for this time of year but the frequent traffic and thaw / freeze has made it more icy than snowy until higher elevations. The trail seemed passable by stock 4x4's trucks and SUVs with sufficient clearance; several made it to Haller Pass while I was there, but have recovery gear and a buddy because the icy sections can still have you sliding off the trail and into deeper snow pretty easily. There is still enough snow at the higher elevations to make this much more challenging than the rating associated with the summer forest road it is.
400
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 08/13/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Easy, well maintained forrest road up until 75% of the trail. Small ruts past this point. The area was very dry and dusty. The lake was great and the hike to it was very short. I'm giving it 5 stars for the view and the experience. It might be considered boring due to lack of obstacles but the views from the trail are pretty nice. The pay off is the lake itself.
300
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 08/06/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

Road was good. Some potholes, but no major impediments. Very dusty. The mosquitoes were plenty and fierce near the lake.
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 02/25/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

At about 2,000 feet, we double-backed, as the snow was deep enough to not feel comfortable continuing on. From what I saw, the trail looks to be fairly passable - no signs of washout, felled trees, etc.
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 10/11/2021
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Knocked this out today and only passed 3 other vehicles which was nice! Road was in good condition and had 2-3 inches of snow towards the higher elevations. Good for the family or like myself getting my wife into “off-roading” was a nice warm up.

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