Lake Ingalls

A chance day mid-week turned out to be a beautiful hike. The Teanaway road up to the Esmeralda trailhead is heavily potholed - especially the first 2 miles after 29 Pines campground. Up beyond Beverly Creek campground, the road is not too bad. From the trailhead to Ingalls pass is a very easy, gentle trail - almost lazy - with only one water seep up near the top which creates mud. The trail is absolutely clear of all obstacles and no snow. After the pass, the trail traverses a larch wonderland with huge views. The larches are brilliant gold, the meadows are kissed with winter's first frost, the rocks are stunning in all their colors and varieties, and Mt. Stuart looms majestically over all. We had to stop every 5 minutes to capture a photo or just admire in awe.

The trail comes down from the pass a bit rocky but soon enters meadow. There it is muddy. Beyond the meadow the trail traverses a rocky hillside. Watch for the cairns! They can be confusing because some indicate straight ahead while others indicate a turning. The trail descends through this rocky tumble and then up over a short, steep scramble to Ingalls Lake. There is no snow on any part of the trail. It is 4.5 miles to the lake from the trailhead which we completed in 3 hours. We returned down in 2.5 hours.

The lake itself is a large, rock bound tarn with Mt. Stuart for a backdrop. For me, it was more than matched by the beauties of the trail getting there.