Barclay Lake — Attraction in Carnation

A beautiful lake nestled in the mountains near Baring, WA - roughly 1-1.5 hours away from the Seattle area. From the trailhead to the lake, it’s an easy trail of around 7 km (to and fro). You can easily drive to the trailhead, though the stretch from Baring to the trailhead is unpaved, with some large potholes at a few places; however, it’s not too bad, and you’ll be fine. A Northwest Forest Pass is required for parking at the trailhead (parking is not an issue, though the road at the trailhead is quite narrow). Although the trail is easy, it’s long and surrounded by beautiful trees, river, mountains, etc.; the hike to the lake is scenic and very relaxing. You feel the amazing quiet provided by this setting. The lake itself is a spectacular sight and is situated right next to a majestic, rocky, and intimidating mountain, which sort of acts as this lake’s ‘protector.’ The lake isn’t that big, and there aren’t many access points to it. Most available access points will be taken up by people camping there. I walked across the entire length of the lake to its other end, and this made the trail around 7.5 km (total) for me. Do note that, at the lake, there isn’t much to do, unless you are camping. Nonetheless, I saw many people, including families with small kids, do this not-so-busy trail. The trail is safe and recommended for all ages. Do visit the lake...

Joined a group hiking trip to the lake from Shoreline. So happy I did because the drive on a weekend is not something to look forward to (traffic on Hway 2 from Monroe to Gold Bar is just terrible). From the hway, its at least a 15 minute drive on unpaved forest service road to the trail head. Parking is limited, NPS pass is required. The lake is popular with hikers and campers (you can camp at the lake without needing a reservation, just the pass/hangtag that you have to display in your car) and just a single toilet at the trail head (there's a toilet area uphill from the lake). No water fountain, and far from restaurants so make sure you bring those with you.

The hike to the lake is fantastic with plenty to explore along the trail if you brought kids along. Uneven ground in some stretches but overall an easy hike for kids and adults with wonky knees.

Expect crowds on weekends and lots of dogs (leashed and un leashed). Recommend a weekday visit to avoid the weekend traffic and flock of hikers/campers...

Barclay Lake is probably the easiest hike with the best payoff of any hike in the PNW. I hiked it for the second time today with my 4 and 5 year old sons, and they did it with minimal complaint towards the end of the trip back. It's approximately 1.7 miles (3.5 miles round trip) to the main beach with only around 250 feet of elevation gain. Mt. Baring towers 3,705 feet over the lake, and pictures can't truly capture its presence. The lake is icy cold, but swimmable, and the shore quickly turns into thick silty mud up to 2 feet deep in places. I highly recommend this hike for anyone who is unsure about or...