Actually our first hike to theses lakes and what a treat, it is such a beautiful area. The trail was in fairly good condition, bugs!!! Rally enjoyed this hike. Just a patch of snow in mabey a few spots, easy going.

First of all, I'd like to point out that "Dogs Allowed On Leash" is not an entirely accurate statement for this hike. If you follow the directions and park at the Tipsoo Lake parking area and cross the street to start this hike, you're still in the National Park and dogs are NOT allowed. You must continue E on 410 about 3/4 mile to a lookout on the right and parking area on the Left side of the road. Park there, then walk back along 410 to the end of the lookout parking lot and catch the PCT. This is where dogs ARE allowed. This might add a little bit (~1/2 mile roundtrip) to the hike. The first 1.5-ish miles are still snowy. But it's manageable, lots of people and kids on this section. The snow seems to be melting fast though. Once you get to the saddle, the trail is mostly snow free down to Dewey Lake. We planned to camp overnight at the lake...but we didn't have bug spray. If you don't have bug spray, go home. It's miserable. We had a ThermaCell which worked great for a few hours, but after that I got eaten alive. So we packed up and left. Left the lake about 5:45pm and made it out in about 1.5 hours. We had the trail to ourselves on the way out, which was great. Overall: Awesome views, pretty flowers, great lake, LOTS OF BUGS (and people early on).

I did the loop up Mesatchee Creek to American Ridge then down 2000 to Dewey Lakes. The loop is mostly snow free, unlike 2 weeks ago. This is a challenging day hike but you can do it in about 9 hours. I was with Java - the only living entity that will do these hikes with me. There are lots of flowers out. The mosquitos are bad coming down the Dewey Lake trail. You have to cross on creek (out of the Dewey Lakes) that does not have logs (or at least none that I found). I take off my boots and put them in the pack when I cross. Dewey Lakes Trail is in poor shape between the lake and the creek crossing. It does not get much use. I still count this as one of my best hikes.

The entire route to Dewey Lake from Chinook Pass is under 5-10 feet of snow.

I've added this hike to my "Best bang for the buck" hikes; it's only six easy miles round trip to Dewey Lake, yet there are great views of Mt. Rainier and its environs. Though most flowers are well past their prime, I could see that the wildflower show would be excellent earlier in the summer (by ID'ing plants by their seed pods and leaves). There are still some Mountain Bog Gentians, one of the more spectacular wildflowers, in bloom. And if you're pressed for time or truly lazy, you can do just the Tipsoo Lake / Naches Peak loop part, about 3 miles total, and just admire the great views of the Dewey Lakes from the ridge. Access couldn't be easier - it's paved all the way to the trailheads. If you want to see it, go soon, since Cayuse and Chinook passes are some of the earliest to close for winter.