Diablo Lake Trailhead — Attraction in Area E (Chilliwack River Valley)

Diablo Lake is a beautiful turquoise lake in the North Cascades, surrounded by mountains and two dams, the Diablo Dam and the Ross Lake Dam. You can also book boat tours on the lake, but make sure to reserve in advance.

The parking situation is pretty good, but you should arrive before the dam closes for cars between 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM. The road across the dam is narrow, with space for only two cars in some spots. The larger parking lot near the Environmental Learning Center is a good option.

The Diablo Lake Trail starts right at the parking lot. It’s about 7 miles round trip (out and back) with around 1,600 ft of elevation gain. If you add the short side trails near the Ross Lake Dam, the hike becomes about 8 miles with 1,850 ft elevation gain.

I recommend using the restrooms in the environmental center. It is just 0.2 miles north/east from the parking lot, but way better option than the porta potty’s.

The trail is great for both hiking and trail running. Along the way, you’ll see amazing views of Diablo Lake, the Ross Lake Dam, some Deer, and the Cascade Mountains in the background. The water color is truly breathtaking! There’s also a shortish (3 Mile out and back) side trail to a small waterfall, but it’s not a top waterfall in Washington, so if you’re short on time, focus on the main trail.

Overall, this is a moderate hike with stunning lake and mountain views, perfect for a nice adventure in the...

First and foremost, awesome, beautiful hike. Kind of rough, but worth it. Nice views, but mostly obscured by trees, one truly gorgeous view but mostly obstructed by powerlines. However, my friend and I thought it was a loop, it's not, when you get to the suspension bridge turn around. We didn't because it was getting late and we were worried about walking back on the trail in the dark. We opted to walk the gravel road back to highway 20. The gravel road does not connect back onto the highway at any point, trust us. After using an emergency phone to try and get help we were told that there is a trail that goes to the highway. We barely found it (signs are not fantastic) but we had to walk it in the almost pitch black, I brought a powerful flashlight just in case and we had to use it up see the trail. My friend actually thought we might die, I didn't, but I was worried we might need to find somewhere to sleep until morning. We made it to the highway, flashed down Saint Petra and she gave us a ride back to my car. So, fantastic story, 50/50 good/bad time, my friend has sworn off hiking forever. If you go, don't make...

If you expect to see all those beautiful lake side pictures people post here, like I was, you will be really disappointed. Before you go, sort the reviews from lowest rating. I wish I did that before I go. If you do want to go, halfway when trail was near the edge of the river, you can see the cliff all the way down to river. But if you want to see all lake and people swimming, it’s just right by trailhead parking. Not at the end of the trail, which is moderate hike and about 1 hour and 45 minutes one way hike. I went to the almost the end of trail at Ross lake dam, took the pictures and hiked back, didn’t bother to finish the trail.

I started late, arrived at 12:30, no parking spots on lots so I parked on the side. There are actually two parking spaces available but it’s for handicap only, really, on the...