July 26th, we took the Trailways bus to Steven's Pass and set out for Chain Lakes by way of Lake Josephine, PCT and Tr 1551 to Chain Lakes Tr 1569. Trail is good to Josephine, and good but brushy in places to waist deep on Tr 1551. Most logs are cleared and trail not hard to follow. We camped at a small camp along the trail near the junction with Tr 1551. Small unmarked stream is still flowing there. Tr 1569 ascends steeply, easy to follow, to Chain Lakes, and beyond to Doelle Lakes. We ate lunch on the shoulder east of the pass looking down on Doelle Lakes. Still a snow patch below pass but barely on the lower trail. Trail was hard to find between upper and lower Doelle Lakes, and we lost it among the campsite trails. While it is possible to find a way down along the outlet of the upper lake as we did, the actual trail stays high and east away from the shore of the upper lake and campsites. We picked up the trail again at the lower lake. The Icicle Ridge Trail cuts off circling a flat marsh clockwise below the lower Doelle Lake a half mile or so. Some cairns visible through the grass. The trail turns abruptly up into the woods on left side of marsh and climbs steeply for a ways, then begins to traverse right around into the next basin and descends below a rockslide before climbing to a pass, then following the ridgecrest roughly over several tops toward Frosty Pass. (See Trekking Washington, Mike Woodmansee) We lost the trail in a basin on the north side of the ridge where it descends and camped there, about a half to 3/4 mi from Frosty Pass. Good water for now. In the morning, we worked over toward Frosty Pass and picked up the real trail above the level of our camp and toward the Pass. Trail from Doelle Lakes also brushy in places, thin, rough.
From Frosty Pass toward Lake Edna, trail is good and more open. Much water still in small streams. Avalanche debris blocks trail for a bit above Lake Margaret, easily skirted. The snow slope that can be an early hazard rounding Cape Horn above Lake Edna is no longer on the trail. We camped near Lake Edna. Here and everywhere above about 3000', bugs were fierce when we were not moving, and there was little breeze. Mosquitoes, black flies and horse flies. Worst in the highest camps. Bold marmot hung around our camp at Lake Edna and chewed the water bag plug.
From Lake Edna, followed the Icicle Ridge Tr to the junction with Chatter Ck trail 1580 and turned south on it, descending more, crossing a basin with much snow over trail in center, and climbing to a pass. There the trail descends 4000' to Icicle Cr Road. Good trail, heavier used and more clear than the Icicle Ridge Tr beyond the junction to the east. Brushy in places, more logs across trail than earlier trails, but some trail work done this year. Trail comes out on the road above the closure/washout and a bit downstream from the Chatter Ck Guard Stn (empty.) We saw a couple mountain bikers on the road, but its not getting car traffic this year except official traffic. From the guard station we took the Icicle Gorge Tr upstream along the south shore of the creek in the shade up to Rock Island Camp Ground. Only two parties there (including us.) Both walk in. Restrooms open, garbage and water not open. Luxurious to have a picnic table for cooking, sitting.
Next morning, up Jack Ck Tr 1558. Excellent shape for first few miles, with near ripe blueberries down low, and ripe salmon berries of excellent quality, juicy, sweet further along. In mile 4-5, trail was very brushy, and this was much noticed because thunderstorm cell had soaked the brush the night before. We got soaked from hips down and then were out of the wet. Further along, passed the site of the fires that closed the upper Jack Ck trail above Meadow Cr last year from Aug until snows. Many trees survived, many fell, ground is covered in dead needles. Interesting. All logs are cleared through here on trail, but further up is a messy challenging crossing of Jack Cr or an easy wade. Probably a rock hop when water falls a bit more, rocks in Jack Cr are very slippery. We continued on to Stuart Pass and over the rock scramble to area around Ingall's Lake. Camped below the lake (no camping permitted at lake). Many mountain goats at lake, we saw 14 at once, all pretty unafraid of people and looking for salt.
Our plan was to find the scrambling route around Ingall's Lake to the Ingall's Lake Tr but after an hour of looking, we were not successful and decided to descend to Ingall's Ck trail 1215, then up over Longs Pass and down to N Fork of the Teanaway, Esmeralda Basin trailhead. We lost a lot of elevation to the junction with Longs'Peak trail. The latter is steep, short, and more of a climbers trail than a full on hiker's trail. Lot's of gravel and loose rock on a steep tread. Dry. The descent down to trailhead is also dry. Fill up at Ingall's Ck. Finished July 31st about noon.
We highly recommend the route as a great one-way, multi-day backpack alternative to the crowded PCT for experienced hikers. Great views, much time above timberline, few people, and a strong feeling of covering a lot of ground in about 45-47 mis and nearly 13,000' of climbing. The camps along the Icicle Cr are very pleasant this year without cars, and provide a continuous sense of wilderness that would be interrupted once the road is rebuilt sometime in 2010.

We went out and back about 3-4 miles. Nice fairly flat hike. Turned around after stopping at the creek to cool off. This was a very hot day. In spite of an early start we needed to turn around to beat the afternoon heat. There were lots of butterflies on the trail, and near campsites by the creek. Several other bugs, but not biting much. Two recent rattlesnake sightings reported at trailhead.

The trip spanned from Thursday late afternoon until Sunday late afternoon; July 2-5, 2009. We followed Ingalls Creek trail No. 1215 from the trailhead to Stuart Pass with a side trip to Ingalls Lake.

The grade is very mild all the way to the junction with trail 1229 to Longs Pass. It follows the creek most of the way, though at times it is only within earshot, not actually accessible. The first mile or so there is no water (which was more relevant to us on the way out on a very long hot day), but after that water is readily available either from the Ingalls Creek or the many other Creeks which flow across the trail. There are numerous fine campsites all along the trail, though I recall only one after leaving the area around Fourth before reaching the meadow just below Stuart Pass and we counted 7 tents there on our way out.

We camped the first night on Ingalls Creek about 4.5 miles from the trailhead, the second night up in the meadow beneath Stuart Pass and the third at an abandoned horse camp just west of the junction with the Fourth Creek Trail. While the meadow was by far the most beautiful, it was also the most replete with mosquitoes. The view north from Stuart Pass is worth the effort of getting there. We tried to traverse the ridge line to reach Ingalls Lake, but there was too much scrambling involved for our canine leader, so we retreated to the meadow and approached the lake from the southeast over the rocky butte. I had been to the lake twice before via trail 1390, but never from this side. To come upon it as we did from above was truly stunning with the added thrill of spotting Mt. Adams from a high point before reaching the lake. The lake was still about 75% frozen. It was a stunning hot summer day which seemed perfect in every respect except possibly that this time alone there were no mountain goats to be seen. Getting down from the lake was simple, since we now spotted the boot trail which descends just north of the cascading waterfall draining from the lake and switchbacks down to the meadow. To get there from down below, take the trail which forks to the left as you are heading up to Stuart Pass, about 100 meters past the obvious campsite.

We encountered snow only at Stuart Pass and on the approach to Ingalls Lake; otherwise the trail was snow-free. It was cleared to about Fourth Creek, after which there were some minor blow-downs but nothing that caused difficulty. Despite numerous warnings about rattlesnakes we neither saw nor heard any. We did see the usual abundance of wildflowers, especially red columbine. There are numerous nice swimming holes along Ingalls Creek between the trailhead and about Cascade Creek. We ran into a couple who were planning to scramble up to the Enchantments via Crystal Creek and wonder if they made it. It didn’t look like something I would attempt with a fully loaded pack.

In summary, this was an easy grade hike in to one of the most spectacular lakes and peaks in the Alpine Wilderness. Bugs moderate.

Enjoyed a wonderful hike on the Ingalls Creek trail this past weekend. Great weather, amazing wildflowers, and beautiful scenery. The trail was a little overgrown in places, but it was never hard to follow the trail. Camped overnight right along Ingalls Creek near the turnoff for the Fourth Creek trail (10 or 11 miles from the trailhead). A beautiful campsite, and we had it completely to ourselves!

Would highly recommend this hike to others for either a day hike or an overnight. Plenty of campsites along the trail for people interested in camping at various distances from the trailhead (the first campsite was only a mile or two from the trailhead).