SLIGHTLY MORE THAN AN HOUR EAST OF SEATTLE ON INTERSTATE 90 IS LAKE EASTON, AN OFTEN-OVERLOOKED AREA ON THE FLANK OF SNOQUALMIE PASS THAT OFFERS A WEALTH OF BEAUTY AND FAMILY ACTIVITIES RANGING FROM FISHING TO CYCLING. -----------------------------------------------------------------
Easton Police Officer rescues man, dog from icy pond Posted today at 5:14am by WLAD Newsroom An Easton police officer is being credited for saving a man and his dog who fell through the ice on a pond near the Helen Keller Middle School Friday night.
- The Hookup is a fast steamy story that will melt the pages of your book! What starts out as a casual hookup at the bar takes a fun twist when Grant and Easton find themselves grabbing a quickie. They like to keep their relationship fun and fresh with a bit of role playing and we get a hot MM story out of it!
- After Nazareth scored on its first series of the second half, Easton regained it on three plays, the last a 73-yard hookup from Transue to Fries.
EASTON - One of our state's enduring qualities is that, in 60 minutes or less, you can still get a lot more than an hour away from civilization. It's simply a matter of pointing yourself in the right direction.
Due east usually yields surprising results.
A steady hour's drive (OK, give or take 10 minutes) on Interstate 90, for example, will put you square on the banks of Lake Easton, which many of us have driven by more than 1,000 times, but never stopped to appreciate fully.
Like the general Snoqualmie Pass area surrounding it, the lake, flanked on the north side by one of the Cascades' nicer state parks, is a collage of contrasts.
Fifty feet from I-90 traffic flying by at breakneck speed, a man floats silently in a rubber boat, the stillness of the lake's glassy water disturbed only by the occasional page-turning of the book in which he is lost.
Across the water, a family of ducks swims playfully, enjoying the clean, natural environment that in some ways isn't natural at all: This used to be a stretch of the Yakima River; now it's a Bureau of Reclamation reservoir.
The lake itself is full to the brim in the summer and nearly empty in the winter but manages to stay beautiful all year long.
Somehow, the natural and unnatural seem to coincide better here than in most places.
The Easton area straddles the cultural and geographical divide between east and west, clinging to good traits of each side. It's green, but fairly dry. Civilized, but rarely crowded. Close enough to civilization to feel it, far enough away to forget it.
For hikers, mountain bikers, anglers, canoeists, chaise-lounge snoozers and families with children, it's an excellent place to retreat into the mountains without enduring major-expedition preparations.
Recreation in the Easton area is centered on - but by no means limited to - Lake Easton State Park, which has hookup and standard campsites, good fishing, a boat launch, a swimming area, a fine picnic area and good cycling.
But within walking or short cycling distance, you'll find a major trailhead for the never-ending, east-to-west Iron Horse Trail, numerous trailheads for excellent Cascades hikes, access to the sprawling Lake Kachess and some good river fishing.
And a short (15-minute) drive takes you to more good campgrounds or to Snoqualmie Pass, with access to the Pacific Crest Trail and more raucous activities, such as the Ski Acres Mountain Bike Center.
Whichever you prefer, Easton finds a way to meet your needs.
Camping. Campers have their pick of 45 hookup and 90 standard sites in two separate areas of Lake Easton State Park. The standard sites, near the park entrance on the east side, are farther away from I-90 traffic noise, and more generously spaced. The hookup sites, on a loop above the lake on the park's west side, are closer together and offer some lake views.
Easton Half Hookup Hotshot
The park often fills up with commuting RV drivers on weekends. But on weekdays, only about 75 percent of the hookup spots are filled, and less than half of the standard sites are occupied, park rangers say. Another good campground in the area is Kachess, a Forest Service campground with 133 sites near the north end of Kachess Lake. Private campgrounds on both sides of I-90 near Easton are another option.
Fishing: Anglers report fair to good success in 237-acre Lake Easton, which is stocked with 8- to 10-inch rainbow trout but also is said to contain cutthroat and eastern brook trout. The state park offers decent bank access from a trail that skirts the shoreline throughout much of the park.
Boaters and canoeists enjoy better success, usually by trolling deeper areas of the lake. Expect fishing to improve as water warms throughout the summer.
Nearby, stream anglers will find nice waters between Lake Easton and Keechelus Reservoir, where selective fishery regulations (artificial flies and lures with single barbless hooks only) are in effect.
Keechelus Lake, a 2,560-acre reservoir, offers good boat fishing for trout (limit two, minimum size 12 inches), kokanee (limit 16, no minimum size) and burbot (no limit).
Easton Half Hookup Online
Just to the north, 4,540-acre Kachess Lake (another reservoir) has a boat launch and good fishing for kokanee, trout and burbot, with the same regulations as Keechelus.
General tip: Boat launching on all these lakes is great now, when reservoirs are filled to unusually high levels by a hefty snowpack. But launching can be difficult later in the season, when the reservoirs are drawn down.
Hiking/cycling: Hikers and cyclists can set out in either direction on the Iron Horse Trail, accessible from a trailhead near downtown Easton, east of the state park.
If you're on a cycle and have a full day, try riding all the way to Snoqualmie Summit - and through the 2.3-mile Snoqualmie Tunnel - and back. Less ambitious hikers can make it to the east end of Keechelus Reservoir.
Younger cyclists can find plenty of good riding in the state park itself, particularly on a closed portion of old highway that begins at the park's western border. There, an old bridge crosses the Kachess River, a channel connecting Lake Easton with Kachess Lake.
Hikers interested in getting higher and farther away should consider the Kachess Ridge Trail, which climbs 15 miles north along a ridge separating Kachess and Cle Elum reservoirs. The trailhead is up Forest Service Road 203, just north of Easton Airstrip.
Another option is the Goat Peak Trail, which climbs 2,700 feet and about five miles to the top of Goat Peak, south of Easton.
To learn more: Call Lake Easton State Park, 509-656-2230, for campground information. For hiking and U.S. Forest Service campground information, call the Cle Elum Ranger District, 509-674-4411.
Easton Half Hookup Hotshot
The park often fills up with commuting RV drivers on weekends. But on weekdays, only about 75 percent of the hookup spots are filled, and less than half of the standard sites are occupied, park rangers say. Another good campground in the area is Kachess, a Forest Service campground with 133 sites near the north end of Kachess Lake. Private campgrounds on both sides of I-90 near Easton are another option.
Fishing: Anglers report fair to good success in 237-acre Lake Easton, which is stocked with 8- to 10-inch rainbow trout but also is said to contain cutthroat and eastern brook trout. The state park offers decent bank access from a trail that skirts the shoreline throughout much of the park.
Boaters and canoeists enjoy better success, usually by trolling deeper areas of the lake. Expect fishing to improve as water warms throughout the summer.
Nearby, stream anglers will find nice waters between Lake Easton and Keechelus Reservoir, where selective fishery regulations (artificial flies and lures with single barbless hooks only) are in effect.
Keechelus Lake, a 2,560-acre reservoir, offers good boat fishing for trout (limit two, minimum size 12 inches), kokanee (limit 16, no minimum size) and burbot (no limit).
Easton Half Hookup Online
Just to the north, 4,540-acre Kachess Lake (another reservoir) has a boat launch and good fishing for kokanee, trout and burbot, with the same regulations as Keechelus.
General tip: Boat launching on all these lakes is great now, when reservoirs are filled to unusually high levels by a hefty snowpack. But launching can be difficult later in the season, when the reservoirs are drawn down.
Hiking/cycling: Hikers and cyclists can set out in either direction on the Iron Horse Trail, accessible from a trailhead near downtown Easton, east of the state park.
If you're on a cycle and have a full day, try riding all the way to Snoqualmie Summit - and through the 2.3-mile Snoqualmie Tunnel - and back. Less ambitious hikers can make it to the east end of Keechelus Reservoir.
Younger cyclists can find plenty of good riding in the state park itself, particularly on a closed portion of old highway that begins at the park's western border. There, an old bridge crosses the Kachess River, a channel connecting Lake Easton with Kachess Lake.
Hikers interested in getting higher and farther away should consider the Kachess Ridge Trail, which climbs 15 miles north along a ridge separating Kachess and Cle Elum reservoirs. The trailhead is up Forest Service Road 203, just north of Easton Airstrip.
Another option is the Goat Peak Trail, which climbs 2,700 feet and about five miles to the top of Goat Peak, south of Easton.
To learn more: Call Lake Easton State Park, 509-656-2230, for campground information. For hiking and U.S. Forest Service campground information, call the Cle Elum Ranger District, 509-674-4411.
Easton Half Hookup Line
A retired police officer was killed in a car crash in Easton on Tuesday. Police say 84-year old Kenneth Lowman of Monroe was pronounced dead at the hospital on Tuesday night. He served 22 years as an officer with the Stamford Police Department. Police say a Jeep was headed north on Route 59 around 5pm and crossed the center line, sideswiping a car. The Jeep continued north in the southbound lane and hit another vehicle. The Easton fire department extricated two passengers from their vehicles and they are being treated at the hospital for serious injuries. The investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the accident.
