Josephine Lake is located approximately 5 miles southeast of Stevens Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail.[3]Lake Susan Jane, the source of Mill Creek, is a short distance north along the Pacific Crest Trail and Swimming Deer Lake to the south along the trail.
Icicle Creek is the outlet of Josephine Lake, less than a mile from the crest of the Cascade Range and the headwaters of Tunnel Creek, a tributary of the west-flowing Skykomish River. Josephine Lake's altitude is 4,685 feet (1,428 m).[2] Icicle Creek flows south from the lake through a deep and narrow granite valley. After a few miles it turns southeast and its gorge broadens into a classic glacier-carved U-shape.
Josephine Lake's cold waters flowing into Icicle Creek are critical for fish and wildlife within Icicle Canyon, the easternmost gateway of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.[4]