First off: The road to the trail head is narrow and a little overgrown in spots with very few pullouts. The last 100 yards of road is a little rutted and peaked in the center so I would not recommend taking any vehicle with less than 12 inches of ground clearance on this road.
This hike starts uphill and doesn't really level off until the last 1/2 mile. The elevation gain is just under 2,000 feet from the trail head to the lake. The full length from the trail head to the lake is 2 1/2 miles, but it feels much longer because of the many, many steep uphill areas. A few of the uphill portions have strong, sturdy, stone steps to make the hike a little easier. There are no downed logs or washouts on this trail at the moment.
As stated in previous trail reports, there are huge basalt columns along the trail, many small streams, and of course the creek the trail runs along. There are also some very pretty waterfalls and springs along the way.
I WOULD NOT recommend this hike for young children as there are many steep 'no fall' areas that would create great danger for them, or anyone else who is not paying close attention to their footing.
It was very quiet at the lake, once the motorcycle riders (from ORV trail 271) had gone off the mountain for the evening. We camped right along the lake in the largest, most well used spot, and were able to find plenty of firewood for our small campfire. The water we filtered from the lake was perfectly tasteless, no fishy smell or taste as noticed by previous hikers. There are fish in the lake and I did catch two small trout, but released both as they were not large enough for eating. Quite a few biting flies and mosquitoes around the lake, but not enough to deter me from going back up next year.

Plan B after discovering that the Purcell Mountain Lookout trailhead was blocked 5 miles up, was to do the Blue Lake Hiker's Trail #274. This is not a trail that I would have gone out of my way to do but since I was in the vicinity I gave it a go. To get there go about 16 miles south of Randle on FR 23. Go left on gravel road at a sign for this hike and come to an immediate unmarked fork. Go left (right goes almost right into a gravel pit). Follow this narrow bumpy road (high clearance vehicle recommended) about 1.3 miles (guidebook says 3.3 miles) to the trailhead. First part of hike a little steep and some rock stairs to climb. On right you come to some cliffs just beyond Blue Lake Creek. There are some interesting columns of basalt on the cliffs that come right down to the creek. The trail continues almost the entire way in forest and at about 2 miles intersects with the ATV trail. Luckily, on a Wednesday, I saw nobody else all day and it was quiet. I would imagine on the weekends and holidays the ATV trails get more use. At 2 1/2 miles the lake is reached. The lake itself is nice but there are no significant vistas of anything far away. There is a nice sandy beach where I rested and had a snack. I followed the ATV trail down just a short stretch to get a feel for how dusty it is. There is a big intersection near the lake where other trails depart from. On the way down I almost stepped on a large frog that was right in the trail (glad I noticed it). There is water available pretty much the entire hike. Returned to my car and decided I had enough time left to explore. Headed down to Takhlakh Lake which is another 15 miles south on 23. Road 23 on this stretch is about half paved and half gravel/dirt. The turnoff to the lake is at about 13 miles and another 2 miles of paved road takes you to the lake. I hiked the Takhlakh Lake Loop and also the meadow loop. They are both short hikes of around a mile+. The lake is beautiful and I see why Evening Magazine has voted this one of the top mountain vistas in the state in the past. It was not peaceful, however, as several kids (and adults) from the campground were playing and canoeing in the lake and making lots of noise. But they looked like they were having fun so who am I to complain? The meadow loop is not all that interesting other than the basalt lava flows that the trail goes past. There is also a sign explaining their significance and history. There were not, however, views of Mt Adams like you have at the lake or (as a sign at the trailhead states) views of Goat Rocks region. I did go a little ways up the lava flows and didn't see much in the way of mt vistas (perhaps further up?). Anyway, this is a good place to add if you're already down this way. I also noted a sign for some caves along FS 23 (north of Blue Lake turnoffs) but I did not explore there. Bugs were not bad on any of the hikes.

Decided to hike this trail on a cloudy Sunday and spend the night. Turned out to be a cold and misty couple of days. Weather was bad but trail is in good condition. No snow, blowdowns, bugs and only a couple people on trail. Only 2.5 miles to lake. First mile is strenuous but than tapers to moderate. Large campsite when you first get to lake, but ATVers have turned this site into a dump. We saw buckets, oil cans, pots, pans, and tarps, plus garbage garbage garbage. Trail around the lake to get away from ATV parking area can be rough at times but is worth it. Because of the weather we hike around about .37 miles and settled on a wet but large enough spot for two tents. There maybe better sites further down. Caught only one fish:( This was our puppies first hike and she seemed to love it! We all felt it was an OK early season overnighter, but would stay away in summer.