These easy-to-reach lakes receive a lot of visitors every sunny summer weekend, but don't let that keep you away. All those people can't be wrong--even if it means sharing. In fact, bring the kids--by mid-August the snow-fed lakes have warmed enough that you can take a swim without turning blue. Even if cool mountain lake swimming isn't your bag, there's still a lot to keep kids occupied. There are some trout (though they get a lot of fishing pressure), and other critters abound. Deer are frequent visitors, and gray jays (a.k.a. camp robber jays) have learned to congregate wherever hikers travel en masse. Indeed, these beautiful birds can be downright pesky. Keep a close eye on your gorp bag, or you might find a camp robber carrying it off.

From the parking area, head up the broad trail as it climbs through easy switchbacks for the first mile. As you cross into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness the route levels out through a broad bench that boasts a bit of a bog. As you move through this wet section, try to stay on the trail even if it's a bit muddy--better to dirty your boots than to erode more land around the trail.

The trail soon sweeps across a small bridge (crossing the lake's outlet) just below Talapus Lake, then climbs the last few yards to the lakeshore at 3250 feet. Forests push in along the shores of this pretty lake, with talus tapering down to the water's edge on the far side. Anglers can wet their lines in this lake first, and families can find fine swimming opportunities along its banks.

The trail climbs away from Talapus before traversing the valley wall, heading up the valley to Olallie. About 0.7 mile from Talapus, stay left at a small trail junction and proceed upvalley to the outlet of Olallie Lake. This pretty lake sits in a nice alpine basin, providing plenty of opportunities to enjoy cooling shade under the boughs of towering firs. It also offers sun lovers a chance to get warm while catching a few rays on the rocks along the shore.