Decided to go on this hike based on the previous reviewer indicating there was no snow at the top. Nothing could be further from the truth- there were at least two feet of snow in the upper basin, making ascent to the top impossible (we lost the trail). The hike up to the upper basin was only lightly covered in snow, although I would still recommended gaiters and trekking poles with snow cages to get up, as in several places the trail was covered in snow for an extedned distance when shaded by trees. The upper basin was a winter wonderland, absolutely beautiful, but we had no idea how to proceed further. Another hike to save for next Spring/early summer.

One other thing to note- trail access is ~14 miles down a very rough at times, unpaved forest service road. Four wheel drive vehicle with reasonably high ground clearance recommended. Many deep puddles (and 'puddle' is a vast understatement), and large rocks in the road on the last 2.3 mile stretch.

Great Hike! Great climb. Living in Leavenworth, this is one of the most scenic mountain view hikes bar none. The route is snow free now, with a few minor patches on the trail above Carne Basin. The route is dry and sun exposed, take plenty of water. The creek in the Basin (about 700 feet below Carne Mtn.) is the only water source. It was clear and running clean.

View from the top of Carne is outstanding looking into Spider Meadow, Buck Mountain, Maude and all the rest. This hike is a great pairing with Spider Meadow if you want two contrasting day hikes.

The larches still have their yellow needles!

The trail is in good shape. It was snow-free up to the basin. From the basin to the saddle there was a little bit of dense snow/ice. Microspikes bit into it quite nicely. The snow from the saddle to the summit was gone in most places. This information may be outdated already, since they were predicting snow today. On the other hand, the weather that I experienced was much better than the forecast called for.

I saw a approximately 4 other people on the trail to the basin. I spent an hour on the summit (with hot tea), but didn't see anyone else up there.

The road to the trailhead has a bunch of potholes. After recent rains, it also had some pretty large puddles. I didn't find any submerged potholes big enough to get stuck in, but it was a concern. The last 2.3 miles of "very rough" road was actually in better shape than the rest of the road, with the exception of one very rough section just after a hairpin turn. That said, I managed to get my small hatchback up to the trailhead without incident.

It's probably not a bad idea to wear some bright clothing. I didn't see any hunters on this trail, but I did see a couple on the road in, and several at the 59er Diner after the hike.

Last week we had a great larch hike to Ingalls Lake. The larch were a little short of peaking but were still very good. The crowd was immense. This week Gary, Janet, and I went looking for a second and even better larch hike. John joined us. Recent reports showed that there was about 6 inches of fresh snow in the basin. Add bright sunshine and we had nearly perfect larch viewing conditions. We met Janet in Monroe at 7:00 am and headed east. Up the road to Lake Wenatchee and then onto the Chiwawa River Road. This was the first day of the general deer hunting season so we expected to see lots of hunter camps. Actually there were some but less than expected. We pulled into the 3550 parking lot at 9:15 am. There were only about 7 or 8 other cars. Several had thick ice on the windshields. It was definitely sub freezing overnight. Mark and Nancy (The Zackster) drove in just ahead of us. I had not seen them in some time.

We were packed up and on the way at 9:33 am. Cold but very clear sky. After 2/10ths of a mile the Carne trail heads off the Phelps Creek trail. The trail climbs steadily and the effort allowed us to warm up. I hiked up this trail with Gary in October 2006 when we did the Carne High Route. That was another great larch trip. The trail is in good shape with two trees down. One is small and an easy step over. The other one is big. We were able to climb over it but shorter legged folks have cut a trail around it. Although the route gains. 2600' in just under 3 miles to the basin it is never overly steep. Just a consistent climb. There are many switchbacks along the way.

Higher up the trail comes out of the forest. There was some fall leaf color. There was also some frozen leaf color. A nice benefit of an early start. As we ascended the views out improved. We could see Mt. Maude and Buck Mountain from the parking lot. Many more peaks came into sight, especially above 5500'. Fortress, Chiwawa, and Red Mountains were covered with fresh snow. Above we could also see the first golden larch trees of the day. The first of many. There was a thin layer of packed and icy snow as we reached the basin. It was okay with poles. If not so close the the basin I might have stopped to but on Yaktrax.

The climbing ends abruptly at 6150' as we entered the basin. I took 1:40 to hike up. Larch, larch, and more larch. The basin is not huge but there are larch trees packed in all over the slopes. The combination of blue sky, fresh white snow, and golden larch needles was outstanding. There were still some trees that were partly green but the majority were peaking. Higher up in the basin most all the trees were at their peak. Janet chose to enjoy the lower basin. She had been up to the summit of Carne Mountain just a few months earlier. John, Gary, and I headed to the right. We passed two tents and wound our way through the yellow forest. The low bright sun really lit up the trees.

We made very slow progress. So many larch and so little time. Our route brought us to an open rocky gully leading up to the ridge top. It was snow covered. One set of deer tracks led up the slope. We followed. We cut through more forest to reach the summer trail. It too was packed snow but not quite as slick as below the basin. We passed one hunter coming down. All the orange we wore was not that necessary this day though I wouldn't go out on the first day of hunting season without it. At the pass we had even more views. Entiat peaks to the east now came into view. It's a pretty easy slog up to the summit of Carne Mountain from there.

One hiker was coming down and we were alone when we reached the top. Quite a bit different from the 70+ folks at Ingalls Lake the week before. Great views from the top and almost no wind. One thermometer read 50 degrees and one 45 but it felt warmer in the sun. It was still a little chilly in the shade. Snowy peaks all around and golden larch below. A really great summit on this day. Our solitude did not last all that long. First one group then another and another still. Mark and Nancy also made it to the top. As we headed down we met the largest party of the day, an Everett Recreation group.

The hike down to the basin was slow as the lighting was still excellent for photos. One last break in the basin and we headed down. On the way we passed a number of groups going up and down. Only one seemed to be backpacking. We were back to the car at around 4:00 pm. The 6 1/2 hours hiking was just more than the total driving time. It was decidedly cold at the trailhead. The warmth of the summit was quickly forgotten. The drive home was easy with no backups in Sultan.

Each year I hope for a day with sun and golden larch trees. Sometimes there is even some fresh snow. Getting all three at once is rare. Getting multiple days like that in one year is very unusual. Gary has had two years in a row like that. I have had one perfect weekend last year and two day trips this year. I hope to be lucky again next year. All in all this was a great day in the mountains.

I have posted 60 annotated photos on my site at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips - 2011" on the left margin.