Talapus and Olallie Lakes, Pratt Lake Basin

The road closure at exit 45 has been noted here already. We hiked to Talapus today via the Pratt Lake trail head at exit 47, and I must say that I HIGHLY recommend that route. The trail is in great shape (though significantly longer than the other trail), and today there was no one, and I MEAN no one, around. There were several hikers at the trail head when we arrived, but they all turned off for Granite Mountain. We encountered only two other hikers on the Pratt trail, and none after the turn-off to Talapus. My dad and I had the lake all to ourselves! There weren't too many bugs, either. If you are looking for a fairly mellow hike on a great trail, and you want to experience these lakes without the crowds, hike this trail on a weekday in the next couple of weeks before the more popular trail re-opens.