Took a chance, based on weather reports that sounded favorable for weather and also said that Snoqualmie only received a dusting of snow in previous days. Fortunately, the weather near Cle Elum was good and there was minimal snow on the ground driving up to the trailhead. Dirt road was in very good condition with only occasional potholes and washboarding and very little snow. Only one other car at the trailhead.
 It was chilly going, but trail was in great shape with only about an inch of snow on about half the trail. Traction with just boots was very good even coming down at a bit of a jog. Even at the very top at the pass there was only patches of snow! Great views of Mt. Stuart and surrounding mountains. I passed one party coming down from Ingalls Lake, then didn't see anyone after that! Enjoy this trip while you can-- I'm sure there will be lots more snow soon! A very enjoyable day trip.

We started late on the trail about 6pm and made it to the top of Longs Pass just as the sun was fading away. What an amazing wonderful place to camp!! We felt like we were on the edge of the world up there with BEAUTIFUL GRAND Mt Stuart as our back drop!! The trail was easy and very nice! The bugs were no problem at all it seemed on the hike, however after returning to the car..the itching began. The next morning we were greeted by a couple of awesome fellow hikers on their way to attempt Mt Stuart for the night! Props to them..they went up and over the back of Longs Pass..way to go guys! After watching our new friends take off we decided to do the same and head for the lake. The trail to Lake Ingalls is probably one of the most amazing deverse trails I've been on in some time and I grew up with Crater Lake as my backyard. We encountered a few Goats as promised and the flowers were stunning! The last scramble to the lake was a challenging blast with the most rewarding end! I can not wait to go back!!!

This was my first two night back packing trip by myself on the Esmerelda Basin loop (as described in the "100 Classic Hikes in Washington State" book) I decided to add this hike onto it...and I'm so glad I did. Read the whole story on my blog http://kellbell-whywouldany[…]1/09/meeting-mr-stuart.html

There were eight of us on this hike - 4 adults and 4 teenagers. Started off on the trailhead by the Esmerelda Peak parking area by about 4:30 pm. First .4 miles was nice and gradual, then it splits with #1394 going left (NW) and #1390 going right (NE). Stick to the right, and follow the trail up switchbacks for another 2 miles to hit another junction. Trail #1390 (Ingalls Way) heads up to Lake Ingalls, while #1229 continues up to the pass. More switchbacks, but worth it for the gorgeous view of Mt. Stuart and the Ingalls Creek basin you get from the pass. From there, we dropped down into the Ingalls Creek basin via a pretty sketchy trail (first down a cliff, then through scree into a mostly dry creek, then finally onto a real trail). Bugs started to pick up as we dropped down further into the basin, but weren't too bad (especially compared to later in the trip). Camped along Ingalls creek at a very nice little site (though a little busy – had several groups walk through that night, including one that looked like it was heading up to Longs Pass in the dark. No thanks…) Lots of firewood available, so we were able to have a little fire before bed (which helped keep most of the mosquitoes away).

The next morning, we followed the Ingalls Creek trail #1215 2.9 miles up to a meadow just below the lake. Gorgeous day, with plenty of wildflowers still blooming. The last .3 miles is straight uphill, but the view at the lake, again, is worth it. Made it to Lake Ingalls about midday - lots of other day hikers and overnight campers there as well (I counted maybe 5-6 other groups). Camping at the lake itself is prohibited, so we camped on a rocky ledge NE of the lake which was populated by several mountain goats. (They seemed quite accustomed to humans, and wandered through our camp several times.) Several of us went swimming - ice cold, but crystal clear and wonderful after the hike in. Mosquitoes were really bad, and stayed bad all day. We ate dinner by walking around the campsite to avoid sitting in one place for too long, and fled to our tents by about 7:30 pm. (There was some sort of helicopter training or rescue or something on Mt. Stuart at about 8:30 pm that was interesting to watch. Couldn't figure out exactly what they were doing, but they stayed a long time.)

Sunday, we took the Ingalls Way trail back down to the parking lot. It took about 30 minutes to get from our campsite to the other side of the lake and head down; the side nearest Ingalls Peak (the NW side) has the best trail, even though it is necessary to cross a couple small snow fields. (My sons checked out the other side, and couldn't find an easy way through to the top of the trail.) The first part of the trail down from the lake is straight down (glad we didn't have to hike up it), but then once you are clear of the cliffs and into Headlight Basin, it is a clear, gradual trail all the way back down.

Total mileage was only 12.7 miles, with a total of 3800 ft of elevation gain (most of it in short bursts). My only complaint was the ENORMOUS number of mosquitoes at the lake; the rest was wonderful.