Rattlesnake Ridge

Rattlesnake Ridge has become a legendary location in the eyes of PNW photographers thanks to the elopement photos of Benj Haisch. This weekend Erin, Emily, Michelle, and I made the pilgrimage out to this picturesque lake and nearby lookout point.

It was worth every little bit of the hype.

Rattlesnake lake is located near North Bend, WA at the edge of the North Cascade mountain range. It took us nearly 3 hours to drive out from Langley. 

Beside the lake is a series of trails which lead up to a lookout ledge and the mountains beyond. The trail to the ledge is a steep incline, but only 2 km each way and well kept.

The view from the ledge is out. of. this. world. Completely PNW at its finest! We took turns standing at the edge and taking in the 180 degree spectacle in front of us.

Thank you to the kind stranger who took our group photo!!

The rain came down on us just as we were heading back down the trail. We got damped enough that I figured it wouldn't be much more of an inconvenient to wade into the lake past my knees (while wearing skinny jeans) to reach a particularly spectacular stump. 

On the way back we stopped to take a look at Snoqualmie Falls. Apparently it's twice as tall as Niagra -- pretty darn impressive.

I'm thankful for Michelle, Erin, and Emily for their enthusiasm in taking on this adventure. I'm already making plans to return. Make sure you check out Michelle's photos from the day on her blog!