Mt. Defiance

This is a great day hike within close proximity to Seattle. The road leading up to the trailhead is in great shape, which is an extra bonus. Panaromic views await you at the top, and Mason Lake is an excellent place to cool off on your way down.

TRAIL DIRECTIONS: Follow the trailhead toward Mason Lake. The grade starts off comfortable, and then steepens about 20 minutes into the hike, going through the forest and past large boulder fields. Once you get to the top of this section you will see a sign welcoming you to the Apline Lakes Wilderness. From here the trail goes gently downhill, through a beautiful forest strewn with large moss-covered boulders. When you reach Mason Lake follow the sign that points to the Main Trail. At one point the trail splits off to the left and goes through some wet mushy grass...THIS IS THE WRONG WAY. Follow the trail to the right, parallel to the lake. Hiking time to the lake is approx. 1hr 30min.

Once past the lake you will come to a trail crossing. Take a left toward Mt. Defiance (a sign will indicate which way to go). You will follow this trail through the forest, hike up some brutally steep switchbacks, and come out in an alpine meadow. The trail goes through the meadow and across a boulder field. IMPORTANT: Shortly beyond the boulder field, there will be a TURN TO THE RIGHT that leads up to the summit. IF YOU FOLLOW THE TRAIL INTO THE TREES, YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR. The summit should be just 20 minutes from here. Time from the lake to the summit is also approx. 1hr 30 min.

Unfortunately, I missed the turn that went to the summit, and followed the trail into the trees. I soon came to a clearing and didn't know which way to go...I finally realized that this trail continued to the left. The trail lost elevation as I went on and became quite small and overgrown. I finally lost the trail at a boulder field that was mostly covered in snow. I could have found the trail on the other side, but at this point my legs had carried me as far as I could go. Luckily, I still had a beautiful views of the valley and surrounding peaks as I perched myself on a large rock and ate lunch. Where this trail leads to I am unsure of. I thought that Mt. Defiance was the large rocky peak to my left heading in, but now know that I missed turn to the peak and would have significantly made my hike easier if I had gone the right way. I don't know where this trail leads to but would be interested to find out (I could hear a waterfall or a running stream off in the distance)....Keep in mind, if you do travel this route, the flies are terrible shortly after you pass the turnoff to Mt. Defiance.

TOTAL HIKE TIME: 8 hrs (would probably have been around 7hrs if I had gone the right way)

DIFFICULTY: strenuous

PROS: large boulder fields, lush forests, beautiful "hidden" lakes, alpine meadows, awesome view at the top, road to trailhead in good condition, no bugs this time of year

CONS: traffic noise from I-90 during the first section of the hike, turn to the summit not clearly marked

Make sure you don't go into the trees instead of straight up the mountain on that last stretch of the trail. That right turn is unmarked, but it'll be pretty obvious. I almost missed it but quickly realized that it didn't make sense going into the woods and remembered reading smth about it on this website. Hike is gorgeous at the top, most of the difficulty is in its length.

Defiance is a fantastic hike. The hike shares much of the way with the Mason Lake and Bandera Mtn. trail. No doubt you will encounter people on the way up and down. It snowed last night, and we hit the snow at around 4300'. The grade is a little less than average for the Pac NW hiker to Mason Lake, and then you spend about 20-25 minutes or so downclimbing about 150 feet and hiking some flat terrain along Mason Lake. Just stay on the main trail and you will be fine. We wandered off the main trail and got lost in a mushy grass meadow along a small stream. Once past Mason Lake, the trail veers north, and in about 5 minutes you will hit a branch. Left to Defiance. Its about a 45min. hike from here to the top. The terrain here is very nice to run on (if you want) and it gets a bit steep for 15 minutes. You hit a traverse and one gets expansive views of nearby peaks along the I-90 corridor. Right before you traverse into the medow, veer straight up, and the top is no more than 15 minutes away.

I gave it 4 stars because of the expansive views on top, varying terrain, and beautiful lake views. I gave it a level 3 difficulty because although there are not any 'very steep' sections, its a 5.5 mile hike and may take some time.

Enjoy, and watch your footing! Rolling your ankle 750' from summit is not a good idea!

What a great way to spend July 4th. It was a clear day, and from the top of Mt. Defiance you could get an awesome view of Rainier, and also of Mt. Hood. Mt. Baker was visible to the north, and Cascade bliss all around you. Great view of the lakes. Take bug repellant! This was a strenuous hike, but well worth it. All within less than an hour's drive of Seattle... One note: make sure you have the national forest parking pass. There are signs everywhere and they seem to enforce it. If you need one, take exit 52 from I90 and head east. You'll see the ranger station where the Old Glory flies. A mere $30 for the annual pass. Happy hiking.

I had never hiked up to Mason Lake or Mt. Defiance before, so cannot speak to the old vs. new trail. This is a good trail, with great views south across I-90 and Mt. Rainier on the way to Mason Lake. This would be a hot hike in warm weather but yesterday's cool temp and slight cloud cover made it very pleasant. Dipping into Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the last bit to Mason Lake takes you into cool forest. The lake is pretty and would be a nice place to hang out on a summer day. On up to Mt. Defiance, the trail continues through the forest, getting steeper, with a break traversing the south slope of Mt. Defiance. The final jaunt up the steep path to the top tested my mettle but I wanted to see the views. They were worth the effort! 360 degrees of Cascade beauty. Definitely try to go on a clear day.

Good hike, with the lake in the middle you can jump in for a cool off on a hot day. The first half of the climb is open, so on a hot day bring lots of water. The hike to the lake is strenuous but not overly difficult for someone in hiking shape. After the lake, the trail has fewer switchbacks, and is steeper. The turn for the summit is just before you reenter the woods after passing thru a meadow. Look for it, it's more of a rabbit trail. If you have time and want to Bandera Mt. trail forks off at the last switchback on the climb before the lake. I would have done both in one day had I had the time. Great views await.