Washington is known for epic mountain views, gorgeous alpine lakes, and grueling trails that get you there; that is exactly what you can expect on the Tuck and Robin Lakes Trail.

Chances are, if you have been living in Washington, you have heard of the insane trail that brings you to the emerald blue lakes surrounded by a beautiful granite basin. You’ll likely hear things like, “OMG it was so hard, but so worth it,” or “I’m glad I did it, but I will never do it again,” and “it wasn’t that bad, it was incredible”!

It is also possible that someone who did the trail had said all three of those things, and that person might be me.

Hi! My name is Sarah, and I am on a mission to hike all 100 Classic Hikes of Washington. I started this journey when I moved to Washington in 2018. Tuck and Robin was my 60th hike on the list, and I’ve got lots of thoughts on it. In this guide, you’ll find all you need for a prepared and successful trip up to the lakes!

Just a heads up! This post might contain affiliate links, which means I could earn a small kickback from purchases you make at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Complete Trail Guide for Tuck and Robin Lakes

If you’re looking for a secluded alpine lake to enjoy, I would likely steer you away from Tuck and Robin Lakes. In addition to Tuck and Robin Lakes being an extremely popular destination, the trailhead is also shared with some other extremely popular hikes in the area, like Jade and Marmot Lakes, as well as Mount Daniel.

The trail is located in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and follows portions of the Cle Elum River. While Forest Service Road 4330 is long, it is accessible for any vehicle.

In this guide, you can expect to learn how to prepare for your hike, permits and regulations, trail breakdowns, and so much more. If that all sounds good to you, let’s get into it!

Know Before You Go

Before making your way to the trail, review the following information!

Tuck and Robin Lakes Location

Tuck and Robin Lakes is located on the ancestral lands of Nations Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Syilx, and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. We are grateful for the stewards of this land, past and present. We are honored to be and recognize that we are guests on this land.

Getting to the Tuck and Robin Lakes Trailhead

Following I90 east towards Roslyn, take exit 80 toward Roslyn/Salmon La Sac. Turn left onto Bull Frog Road until you reach State Route 903. Follow SR 903 for 16.6 miles before turning left onto Forest Road 4330, which you will follow for 12.4 miles. Follow the road until you reach the trailhead at the end.

The parking lot at Tucquala Meadows Trailhead can hold upwards of 40 cars, but it is very likely you’ll be parking on the side of the forest service road if it is busy.

NOTE: While the road is accessible for all vehicles, there is a creek crossing three miles before the trailhead over Scatter Creek. Keep this in mind; you might be driving through water.

Trailhead Facilities

As you drive towards the trailhead, you will pass plenty of dispersed campsites and National Forest-run campgrounds. If you want to camp closer to the trailhead the night before your hike, these are a great option since there are pit toilets.

At the trailhead, you will find two pit toilets. Sometimes they are well stocked and clean; sometimes they are not.

There is no trash service, so whatever you pack in, you need to pack out.

Pass/Permit

Tuck and Robin Lakes trail brings you through the protected areas of Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The required permit for this trail is a Northwest Forest Pass.

The pass is $30 annually and provides access to all National Forests in Washington and Oregon. If you have an America the Beautiful Pass, that would also work at this trailhead.

Make sure you leave your pass in your windshield. It is possible to get ticketed at this trailhead for parking without a pass.

You can purchase a National Forest Pass here.

In addition to a Northwest Forest Pass, you will need to fill out a walk-up permit. This permit helps Forest Service members track use and allocate funding to the area. It is also a safety measure and can be used in case of a needed rescue.

The permit box is about 50 feet into the trail.

Season to Visit

The best time of year to complete this hike is late July through October, but it becomes accessible in early July.

Snow tends to stick longer in this area, so even in late July, it is likely you will still see lingering patches of snow. However, most, if not all, of the trail will be clear of snow.

I would say August is the sweet spot. The snow is melted, water crossings are manageable, the bugs are dying down, and the weather is as stable as it gets in Washington.

September offers more solitude, but it comes with shorter days and more weather variability.

What to Pack for Tuck and Robin Lakes

While you will want all of the standard hiking and backpacking gear, here are some items I would recommend specifically for this trail.

1. Sunshirt: Once you hit the four-mile mark, sun exposure can be a real issue on this trail. Keep your skin protected and minimize sunscreen breaks.
2. Head Net: Mosquitoes can be a significant pest on this trail. If you don’t want your face to be divebombed by mosquitoes, a bug net is highly recommended.
3. Trekking Poles: This trail gets extremely steep. Trekking poles will help with balance and sliding on this hike.
4. Long Pants: There are some tree crossings and narrow trails that make having long pants recommended.
5. Water Filter: In the summer, this trail can get hot, and you’ll likely drink plenty of water. Bring a water filter to filter along the way. My preferred water filter for hikes is the Hydrapak Flux+.
6. Downloaded Trail Map: The hike up to Robin Lake is hard to follow. Use the offline maps from AllTrails to stay on the trail.

You can read my full backpacking gear guide here.

Hiking Tuck and Robin Lakes

Tuck and Robin Lakes have been compared to the Enchantments and have often been referred to as the little Enchantments. It is easy to see how it got this name from the stunning views and gorgeous lakes. Unlike the Enchantments, you don’t need to worry about getting coveted permits that are said to be harder to win than the actual lottery.

Here is what you can expect along the trail.

Trailhead to Hyas Lake

While a trail with 3,000 feet of elevation gain over 14.4 miles might seem like a cakewalk, that is not what you will expect on the Tuck and Robin Lakes trail.

After waving goodbye to your car, you’ll enjoy a gentle climb up the trail through large fields of salmon berries. The trail is wide and level, making for easy, quick hiking.

There are plenty of water sources along this section of trail, notably Skeeter Creek, which has a bridge for crossing over the water.

As you come up towards Hyas Lake, the path opens up more while you begin walking through a more forested area. The bright blue color of Hyas Lake beckons you to jump in, and you’ll promise yourself you will jump in on the way out.

Along Hyas Lake, there are plenty of large campsites. You’ll find many of them are occupied by families since it is such an easy backpacking trip to do with children.

At Hyas, you can take a short rest or use one of the two toilets available in the area before continuing on.

Hyas Lake to Robin Lakes Trail

The hike along Hyas Lake is about 1 mile in length and includes some gradual incline and decline while skirting the lake. Across the lake, you’ll get excellent views of Cathedral Rock.

When you’re about 2.5 miles in, you’ll see Hyas Lake peter out to a grasslands area and open up again. This small lake is called Little Hyas Lake and connects to the Cle Elum River.

The dirt trail begins to slowly increase in grade before you eventually reach your first set of switchbacks at 3.4 miles. While the switchbacks have a gentle-ish grade, there are about twenty of them before you reach the turnoff for Robin Lakes.

Climbing these switchbacks will feel like a slog, but you will catch glimpses of the surrounding mountains peaking through the trees.

As you approach the turnoff for Tuck and Robin Lake, the trail straightens out a bit, and you’ll have a gentler climb towards the offshoot. You’ll reach the offshoot at 4.2 miles in and gain roughly 1,000 feet.

Take the trail to the right to head towards Tuck Lake. Continuing forward on the trail would bring you towards Marmot Lake.

Robin Lake Trail to Tuck Lake

As you begin hiking along the Robin Lake Trail, you’ll immediately pass a large water source next to a campsite. This is an excellent place to filter water. I restocked on water here using my HydraPak Flux+ water bottle.

It is at this point that you’ll start to experience most of the vertical climb as the trail thins and increases in grade.

You can expect to take large steps over rocks and tree limbs. The trail also becomes sandy and slippery. There are many narrow ledges that require careful footing and a number of trees that you’ll need to climb over.

Take your time, take a deep breath, and eventually you will find yourself walking into the woods straight to Tuck Lake.

Due to the heavy foot traffic of the area, you’ll find plenty of social trails around the area to various campsites. For many people, Tuck Lake is the last stop on their journey. Tuck Lake is a beautiful lake, but it typically has lots of people.

Around Tuck Lake, you will also find Tuck Pond and Tuck Puddle, each smaller than the previous.

If you’re continuing the journey to Robin, take a break at Tuck, fill up on water, and eat a snack. You’re going to need it.

Tuck Lake to Robin Lake

The trail from Tuck Lake to Robin Lake is unmaintained and leads to a more spacious alpine lake area. Be mindful that the trail from Tuck Lake to Robin Lake was never an official trail, and even though it is heavily traveled, it is unmaintained.

My best advice for starting the trek up to Robin Lake is to skirt Tuck Lake the best you can. There is a vast amount of social trails around Tuck Lake, making it hard to find the actual trail, but if you try to stick closer to Tuck Lake, you will eventually come across some felled trees creating a log jam that you need to cross.

Since this is not a maintained trail, you will find many unofficial cairns marking the way. Some of them are helpful, and some are hurtful. I found it extremely helpful to have the downloaded AllTrails Pro map.

As you climb towards Robin Lake, you’ll be hoisting yourself up over large granite slabs, holding onto protruding tree roots, and genuinely praying you’re almost there.

It took my friend and me about 2 hours to get from Tuck to Robin Lake.

The final push is a massive rock slab with wide-open views of Mount Daniel and a sliver of Hyas Lake. Mountain goat your way up the slab, knowing that Robin Lake will be to your right(Southeast), and slowly head that way. While the slab is at a devastating incline, your hiking poles will come in handy as you put your faith in your hiking boot tread.

Once you breach the top of the slab, you’ll see Robin Lake sparkling below you. Find one of the social trails down to the lake and make your way to a campsite.

The entire Robin Lake basin is spread out, so take some time to explore the area to find a good campsite or resting spot.

Hiking Back to the Trailhead

The hike down from Robin Lakes back to the trailhead is a long one. Even at just 7.2 miles, you’ll find that the amount of elevation loss takes its toll.

Hiking from Robin Lake down to Tuck Lake is quick, and the trail is slightly easier to follow than the way up.

Stopping at Tuck Lake for a water refill is a great idea since there are no water sources until you get to the trail turnoff back onto Deception Pass Trail.

Many people end up stopping at Hyas Lake on the way out for a quick swim and rest before making the final push to the trailhead.

Depending on how close you were able to park to the trailhead, your journey might be a little longer!

Backpacking Tuck and Robin Lakes

Staying overnight at Tuck or Robin Lake is one of the main draws to the trail. Being surrounded by steep granite rock faces, glistening glacier runoff, and alpine pines is one of the best camping experiences a backpacker could have.

The added weight of your pack might deter some hikers, but you’ll find that most people hiking up to Tuck and Robin Lakes are bringing an overnight pack.

Finding a campsite at Tuck Lake can be tricky and will likely require you to pitch your tent on a granite slab; a free-standing tent is recommended.

For tent space near Robin Lakes, most people pitch their tents on the section between upper and lower Robin Lake. You can find more camping near the lower lake outlet and towards the north edge of the upper lake.

Bear-safe food storage is a requirement for camping in this area. Bring a bear can or do a food hang.

You’ll also find that mountain goats will be roaming around Robin Lake. Some are known to get a little aggressive in order to lick the salt from your pee. Keep your gear organized, stored, and close to you.

Should Tuck and Robin Lakes be a “100 Classic Hikes of Washington”?

Since moving to Washington in 2018, I have made it a mission to hike the best trails that Washington has to offer. So, when I came across “100 Classic Hikes of Washington” by Craig Romano in the REI Flagship Store, I snagged it and have been working through it ever since.

But after hiking each trail, I always ask myself, “Should this be a 100 Classic Hike?”

While it is hard to argue with the beauty of Tuck and Robin Lakes, I do unfortunately believe it should not be a 100 Classic Hike of Washington.

Tuck and Robin Lakes was designated as a Legacy Hike, which means that the trail was originally identified as a classic hike by Ira Springs and Harvey Manning in the first edition of the book.

It is rare I complete a hike that I believe should not be a 100 Classic, and typically my reason for disagreeing with the label is due to uninspiring views.

However, my reason for disagreeing with this hike is due to the unmaintained trail from Tuck to Robin Lakes. The difficulty of the climb is underplayed. With the trail’s popularity, inexperienced hikers complete it underprepared for scrambling and route finding.

While I believe this trail to be gorgeous, I do think it is now irresponsible to recommend it in such a widely popular and trusted book. I would propose Marmot Lake as an alternative since the trail shares a trailhead and is significantly easier to navigate, but just as difficult.

If you want to start your own 100 Classic Hike journey, you can purchase the trail guide here.

Other Trails in the Area

The Snoqualmie Pass area has some incredible trails and is an extremely popular hiking destination due to its proximity to Seattle. Some trails I would recommend in the area include:

• Kendall Katwalk – Incredible granite walkways with epic views of the pass.
• Spectacle Lake – The perfect backpacking trip with excellent swimming
• Lake Ingalls – Larch-Madness occurs here every year.
• Granite Mountain – A trek and scramble up to a deconstructed fire lookout.
• Mount Si – The ideally graded training trail with great views.

Pack it Up

Tuck and Robin Lakes is an ass-kicker but well worth the struggle as long as you’re prepared for the climb ahead of you.

My biggest piece of advice is to ensure you have a filtering water bottle with you to quickly and easily filter more water on the high desert terrain of the trail.

Rest assured you will not be alone if you need help, but I would recommend going mid-week to avoid the bulk of the crowds.

I like to check Washington Trails Association for current trail reports. They typically have the most comprehensive understanding of current conditions since a decent number of people fill out the reports.