Washington High Lakes
WDFW mountain lakes in the Cascades and Olympics, with elevation, land manager and the fish the layer lists.
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What WDFW means by a high lake
WDFW keeps a separate layer for its high lakes, mostly small mountain lakes on national forest and national park land. The layer lists 1,033 of them, each with an elevation, the land manager and a program type: 786 fish stocking, 178 overabundant lakes and 69 getting started lakes.
Their recorded elevations run from 316 to 7,800 feet, with a middle value of 4,580 feet. 70 of them have a page here; the rest are listed on their county pages.
WDFW Fish Washington high lakes layer on geodataservices.wdfw.wa.gov, read October 31, 2026.
Who manages the land around Washington high lakes
- Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest477 lakes
- Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest275 lakes
- Gifford Pinchot National Forest94 lakes
- North Cascades National Park23 lakes
- Olympic National Forest23 lakes
- Lake Chelan National Recreation Area11 lakes
- Mount Pilchuck State Park6 lakes
- Colockum Wildlife Area5 lakes
- Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area4 lakes
- Olympic National Park4 lakes
Species the high lakes layer lists most often
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Washington high lakes with a page of their own
- AKL Pond539 ft
- Ann Lake5,480 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Annette Lake3,624 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Arbuthnot Lake4,770 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Bear Lake (King County)3,614 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Bertha May Lake4,059 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Big Mosquito Lake3,896 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Blue Lake (Lewis County)4,062 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Clear Lake (Skamania County)4,944 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Coal Lake3,384 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Copper Lake3,965 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Cougar Lake (Yakima County)5,019 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Deception Lakes5,057 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Deep Lake (Kittitas County)4,386 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Dorothy Lake3,062 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Easton Ponds2,139 ft
- Fisher Lake4,767 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Glacier Lake4,810 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Granite Lake4,179 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Greenwood Lake4,465 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Hayes Lake (Whatcom County)4,782 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Heather Lake (Chelan County)3,957 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Heather Lake (Snohomish County)2,399 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Hester Lake3,890 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Hidden (Allen) Lake2,271 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Horseshoe Lake (King County)3,906 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Island Lake (Skamania County)4,824 ft
- Janus Lake4,150 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Joe Lake4,628 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Kaleetan Lake3,864 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Lake Byrne5,548 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Lake Fontal1,093 ft
- Lake Philippa3,350 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Lake Serene (Snohomish County) near Gold Bar2,525 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Lake Valhalla4,834 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Lodge Lake3,130 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Lost Lake (Chelan County)4,934 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Lower Ashland Lake2,674 ft
- Lower Lena Lake1,791 ft, Olympic National Forest
- Lower Loch Katrine Lake2,904 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Lower Thornton Lake4,486 ft, North Cascades National Park
- Lower Tuscohatchie Lake3,424 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Manastash Lake5,067 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Marmot Lake4,935 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Marten Lake2,963 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Newaukum Lake2,983 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Pear Lake4,813 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Pete Lake2,984 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Pine Lake (Whatcom County)1,574 ft
- Placid Lake4,046 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Rainy Lake4,795 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Sahalee-Tyee Lake4,708 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Scatter Lake7,052 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Schaefer Lake5,135 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Slide Lake3,114 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Snow Lake4,020 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Spectacle Lake (Kittitas County)4,264 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Square Lake4,994 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Stirrup Lake3,550 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Summit Lake (Pierce County)5,443 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Surprise Lake4,512 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Swamp Lake4,799 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Thomas Lake4,304 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Trap Lake5,175 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Twin Sisters – Big Lake5,157 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Twin Sisters – Little Lake5,188 ft, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Upper (Big) Greider Lake2,936 ft
- Walupt Lake3,930 ft, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Waptus Lake2,967 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Wolverine Lake5,045 ft, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Washington High Lakes, with Washington water pictured
Photo: Jan Tik, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Jeff Hollett, CC0 1.0
Photo: Jonathan Miske, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Patrick McNally, CC BY 2.0
Hiking in to Washington high lakes, asked and answered
How many high lakes does WDFW list?
1,033, in its separate high lakes layer.
What are the program types?
Fish Stocking (786 lakes), Overabundant Lakes (178 lakes) and Getting Started Lakes (69 lakes).
Who manages most of the land?
US Forest Service, around 877 of the lakes.
Which fish turn up most?
rainbow trout (523 lakes), cutthroat trout (436 lakes) and brook trout (127 lakes).
How high is the highest lake in the layer?
Enchantment 9 (Tranquil) Lake, at 7,800 feet in Chelan County.
Do the statewide rules apply on high lakes?
If a freshwater area is not listed in Special Rules, follow the Statewide Freshwater Rules. Lakes are open year-round under the statewide freshwater seasons unless a Special Rule says otherwise.
Does this guide say how deep the high lakes are?
No; WDFW publishes acreage and elevation for these lakes, nothing on how deep they run.
Do I need a pass at the trailhead?
The land manager sets trailhead parking rules; each high lake page names the manager and links its site where WDFW gives one.