Rainy Lake is at the very northern edge of Chelan County at one of the higher points on the North Cascades Highway. The access is great. There is a large parking lot that is also a nice picnic area with benches and restrooms. This is a jumping off point for several day and overnight hiking destinations and a Northwest Forest Parking Pass is required ( hit a ranger station on the way up). To get to the lake is almost a stroll on a paved handicapped accessable path with no elevation gain 0.9mi. If you want to raft, kyak, or bellyboat you don't even have to carry it! Use a cart, wagon, even a rolling suitcase to bring your gear- no problem. To the right of the viewing platform at the official trails end there is a side trail to the right that leads to a primitive campspot that makes a good staging area for boaters. No camping is allowed here but there is a good area to launch adjacent to this spot. For shorebound anglers, continue past the campspot and the trail dissapears but with some boulder hopping and log jumping a couple hundred feet you arrive at a nice open slide area that can accomidate several anglers.

The lakes suprisingly large cutthroat trout are very agressive and will take all kinds of natural baits, spinners, flies etc. just forget the power bait. At 5800ft with a fantastic waterfall at it's far end this lake is truly a jewel of the Cascades. Please consider very selective harvest of these fish with barbless hooks so we may all look back in our minds during a long day at work and think of Rainy- it's amazing beauty and it's fantastic cutts. John