Ingalls Way / Lake Ingalls

We pulled in at 11am to an overflowing parking lot, not surprised that everyone else had the brilliant idea we had: to day hike up to Lake Ingalls on a glorious Saturday.

We couldn't have asked for better conditions. Sunny, with a cool breeze, no bugs (yay!), relatively few people (which surprised us with the amount of cars we'd seen at the trailhead). The trail is in excellent condition.

If you've never done this hike before, you should. It is amazing. Views all the way up, including Mt. Rainier at the crest before descending into the valley. And of course, Mt. Stuart, RIGHT there, is all its craggy majesty. Lake Ingalls itself was a mixture of deep and bright blues. A chilly breeze pervaded the afternoon, but basking on the rocks surrounding the lake while eating lunch was a rare treat. We loved exploring Headlight Basin; among meadering trails and precious alpine meadows and streams and waterfalls spilling over polished red/orange rocks.

We only wished we'd decided to camp for the night; there are many campsites tucked into the valley, protected by alpine tree groves. From the other backpackers we encountered, night is still quite cold (in the 20s and 30s), but they reported the sunrise makes it all worthwhile.