Between Seattle And Portland Is A Washington Lake Known For Scenic Swim Spots And Hiking Trails

The naturally resplendent state of Washington offers the perfect environment for anyone with a love of lakes. It's home to more than 8,000 lakes fed by 70,000 miles of rivers, including Gem Lake, a stunning mountain escape with wooded trails, camping, and swimming. But while Gem Lake requires you to lace up your hiking boots and walk more than 3 miles to reach its shoreline, there are many other lakes in the state you can reach in your car. Alder Lake is one of these, offering natural beauty and outdoor recreation 70 miles from Seattle and 130 miles from Portland.

One of the best places to enjoy the lake is Alder Lake Park, a recreation and camping area about 8 miles from Eatonville. The park sprawls out along the lake's northernmost shoreline and offers playgrounds, restrooms, picnic areas, boat ramps, and two picturesque swimming areas. Sunny Beach Point is one of these swimming spots, open to day visitors to sunbathe, frolic in the water, and picnic. The swimming area is usually cordoned off and offers plenty of grassy space to set up blankets and towels on the shore. A covered picnic shelter offers shaded tables and grills.

Stacel Point Beach is another popular swimming spot, but it will cost you $10 per car on weekends or holidays. Along with a sandy shoreline, Stacel Point also has picnic tables and a playground to help families make a day of it. The nearby boat ramp is also handy if you want to get out on the lake. You can launch motorized and non-motorized watercraft (if the water levels allow it). When you're not swimming, you can try your hand at fishing for bass, perch, crappie, kokanee salmon, catfish, or cutthroat.

Alder Lake features various hiking trails for those who want a leisurely stroll along the shoreline or a longer trek. There's actually a small walking trail along the lake from Stacel Point Beach. This is a good option if you want to stretch your legs while soaking up the beautiful lake scenery. Another route you can take from Alder Lake Park leads you to Alder Dam, where you can admire the glassy water and its surrounding trees. This easy 2.4-mile loop should take you about an hour.

If you want to spend multiple days at Alder Lake, you can camp at one of Alder Lake Park's four main campgrounds. There are over 170 different sites to choose from, including tent and RV sites with picnic tables, fire ring or grills, and full or partial electric and water hookups. Campers also have access to restrooms, coin-operated showers, and camp kitchen shelters complete with grills, sinks, and power outlets. At the time of writing, the cost to camp or park your RV here ranges from $25 to $56 a night, depending on the site you choose and the time of year. The park is open most of the year, except for a short period between December 20 and January 1.

If camping isn't your thing, you can also stay in the small lakeside community of Elbe, a secret Sasquatch-themed town with trails, trains, and food located on Alder's eastern shore. It takes around 2 hours to drive to Alder Lake Park from Seattle or 2.5 hours from Portland. Alder Lake is right on the doorstep of Mount Rainier National Park, so you could also drive the acclaimed Sunrise Road, one of the most beautiful drives in any national park.