The dogs needed a good walk and I wanted to check out more of the trail after the WTA work party last week so Necklace Valley Trail it is. The 3 miles of gravel road is in great shape. There are 5 cars in the lot when we arrive at about 11 a.m. n a sunny Wednesday morning. Toilet at the trailhead is nothing special but not a disaster either. Trail is in great shape all the way to the bridge about a mile in. Brushed well and not a single blowdown. The next mile or so to the crossover to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness could use a little brushing but was not bad and just two little blowdowns that were easy to step over. We hiked about one more mile to where we could see what is called Alturas Lake on the map but is more like a swampy bog. The dogs were getting hot so we turned around and headed back to the car. Total hike was about 6 miles and about 600 feet of elevation. We never saw another person. Loved this hike. Looking forward to coming back to get all the way to the lakes 7 or 8 miles in.

Trail in solid condition up to the scree field. Plenty of fun trail features to look at, although quite brushy in some spots.

I turned around at the scree field, about 5 miles in.

Almost nettle free which was nice.

Saw a WTA crew leader scouting their work parties for the weekend. Sounds like this trail is getting a fair bit of attention in 2024. Excited to get out there again with more time.

Went up today, and got 8.5mi in, to the north end of Jade Lake. Snow cover on the side of the lake has lots of air pockets underneath, so I did not head to the south end of the lake.

Snow on trail doesn’t start until mile 8 or so, but there are snow bridges and large air pockets underneath that look risky. I punched through on one foot and hit air.

A few blowdowns cross the trail along the way, with two or three having some challenge to getting across, but didn’t prevent me from getting thought

Almost missed the turn to head up hill (marked by cairns) after the river crossing, but it’s marked if you’re looking for it.

The whole place was filled with small widlflowers, and even some baby huckleberries. Not sure what berries will survive this early, but it could be a bumper crop that comes early this year in this location.

Hiked up to necklace valley made it almost to Jade lake before turning back due to snow. Camped back at the river it was cold and rainy but still lovely

Hiked 5 miles in, to the crossing of the East Fork Foss River.

Road Conditions. First mile off Hwy 2 was paved, next mile was unpaved but double-wide and in excellent condition. The final two miles past the "end of county-maintained road" sign had some potholes and loose rocks, but looked fine for just about any vehicle.

Trail Conditions. Some blowdowns, all easy to step over except for three large ones (all past the wilderness boundary). Stream crossings were easy to step over, two footbridges had no handholds and required a little bit of balance (incl the one over the East Fork Foss River). Couple of spots with negligible amounts of snow, likely gone within a week.

Highlights. Lots of fresh trilliums all along the trail, as well as quite a few skunk cabbages in boggy areas. Some giant trees (Douglas fir, western hemlock, redcedar). Several nice spots where the trail gets down to the river.

Crowds. One other car at the trailhead at 10am, and one at 3pm. Encountered two parties on the trail.