Ira Springs Trail to Mason Lake

Distance: 6.5 miles out and back
Difficulty: Moderate
Fees: Northwest Forest Pass
View my Gaia GPS track here


A month into my move, I’m finally starting to feel settled into living in Seattle. While I’ve gotten the opportunity to be outside, it’s definitely not with the same frequency as before. So it was time for another Mountain Chicks hike to explore the beautiful area around me!

The Ira Springs trailhead is a mere hour long drive from Seattle located in the North Bend area. Eight awesome women joined this hazy day hike.

There’s something to be said about doing your research before you go on a hike. I had no expectations from it because I hadn’t done my research so a lot of it was a surprise. Although not unreasonable, I didn’t expect there to be much of an elevation gain, much less for the trail to be a steady incline a good chunk of the way.

For the first time in awhile my knee wasn’t bothering me in the least, so I was able to keep a steady, brisk pace. One of the women in the group, Kim, was a complete badass – the soles of her hiking boots were literally falling off and being held together by nothing but her shoelaces tied around the bottom. She still made it the whole way up to the lake with all smiles. That’s the spirit of a real trooper!

3.4 miles through the warm haze and smoke-obscured views, we made it to a beautifully cool lake with crisper air and relaxed for a bit before heading back. Kim secured the soles of her hiking boots with bandanas, laughed it off and hiked the whole way back without mishap.

While large groups hikes generally aren’t my thing, I’m always happy when I’ve gone on them. It’s always such a great opportunity to meet new people and create friendships with these kinds of shared experiences.

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