Gothic Basin
Date: September 7, 2013
Difficulty: 8 out of 10
Distance: 9 miles / 14.5 Kilometers roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,840 feet / 866 meters
Time: 5 to 6 hours
Location: Mountain Loop Highway
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet
Hiking With: Linna Freeman, Rick Massie and my wonder dog Macho.

Wow….Gothic Basin goo.gl/DEj3l1 is a much bigger hike than I thought. Even though this is only 2,840 feet elevation gain, it feels more like 4,000 feet with all the scrambling on steep rocky terrain. The official hike itself is 4.5 miles up, but it takes a mile to get to the trailhead…so your roundtrip is actually 11 miles. You will sweat your ass off on this hike, but it’s totally worth it after you see wants waiting for you on top.

You will want to hike this on a sunny day because the views (I think) are to die for and the basin is filled with beauty. We left the house thinking the day would end up sunny….will it did in Seattle, but the clouds just hung around all day in the mountains. Almost half of the hike we were in light rain. This hike has it all…river, lake, waterfalls, huge mountain views, wild flowers and campsites.

We ended this hike at Sura’s goo.gl/yi9iD8 in Lynnwood, Washington for some delicious Korean BBQ. This place has superb service, great food and a warm environment, it’s our new favorite Korean BBQ North of Seattle.