This is a great rainy day hike, flat up to the Foss River crossing (5 miles from trailhead), not muddy or much standing water on the trail. There were impressive deep ruddy colors with the dead ferns, vine maple leaves, and bare twigs especially past the marshy area at 2-3 miles (Alturas Lake on USGS map). The climb after the Foss River crossing to Jade lake (8 miles from trailhead) was steep, but a well maintained trail so most of the challenge is simply the gain in altitude.

The trail was ice free and snow free up to the river crossing and mostly snow free until about 1/2 mile from Jade Lake. The approach to Jade Lake had about 4 inches of wet, sticky snow but was ok with careful footing and hiking boots only.

I found a great lunch spot under an overhanging boulder along the shore of Jade Lake which was ice covered and had residual snow around the edges. It was just above freezing so new precipitation was more light rain than snow, and by the time I came down much of the snow that had been there on the way up was melted. I made it back out with just time enough to reach the trailhead by dusk.

There were no other cars in the parking lot, but boot and dog tracks from one party that had come almost to the lake. Gaia GPS listed round trip to Jade Lake at 16.2 miles, 3276 feet ascent.

This is a beautiful hike in the lowlands of the Cascades, starting at about 1000 feet and rising to about 1600 feet of elevation--gradually. It's perfect for when the higher elevations are getting icy and you still want a good 10 mile (or longer) hike--or even a two-mile stroll, if you just hike to the wooden bridge over the waterfall and back. The trail ultimately lands you at Jade Lake, if you're in a macho mood, but our aim today was to reach the river crossing before the two-mile ascent to Jade (which is  a wicked climb no matter what season). The river crossing makes for a lovely 5 or 5.5-mile one way hike (10-11 RT), and there's a nice little campground right there on the river , perfect for a lunch spot. The trail to Jade Lake continues on the other side of the river.

There are a couple of camp spots, actually, but the one on the river is particularly interesting because the remains of some sort of machinery are there--perhaps old mining equipment or a wagon? I've included a picture here. Also, we found what looks like a man's necklace strung from a nail in a tree at the site--pic also included here. Anyway, a quiet, gorgeous hike, with a waterfall, second growth forest, beautiful mosses, views of sheer rock faces, and a meandering river (the East Fork Foss). Minor obstacles: three places with downed trees that were easily navigable. All in all--couldn't ask for a more lovely late season hike. 

As noted, the vault toilet at the trailhead is locked.  Don't know why.  There was a secluded spot in the trees at the far end of the parking lot that had obviously been well-used as a substitute.

Found a lovely lunch spot on the river 3.4 miles in from the trailhead.

We walked only to the log bridge over the Foss River (5.1 miles in).  That bridge would have required a bit of a scramble to get onto it, then a climb over a log marooned on top of the bridge, then maybe there might be a way around the water at the far end.  We turned around instead.

There was a lot of water on the trail, and some iffy stream crossings.  There was one extended stretch (maybe 100 yards?) where the trail was under a foot of water or more.  Waterproof boots were a huge help, even when going around the deeper spots.

There were no bugs in the morning, but as temperatures warmed the mosquitos started coming out.  

Headed out of the Necklace Valley parking lot at 8:30am on Tuesday.The plan for the day was to make it to Tank Lakes and back. Trail is snow free and well maintained up to 5 miles. Around mile 5, there is a patch of stinging nettles that overhangs into the trail at your ankles for about .2 but its not too bad.

At 7.5 miles, snow begins. Patchy at first, it picks up as you get closer to the lake. The snow was untouched ahead of me, minus a few spots that showed bear prints. Didn't see any bears, fine by me!

I lost the trail after the first lake, you have to cross the river and continue heading upward. Hopefully my tracks will help the next few people, until new snow :)

After crossing, I continued to lose and find the trail for about 2 more miles. Once I reached the end of Opal lake, I was having trouble finding where to go and it was nearing my turn around time. Instead of continuing to try to find the trail, I called it and turned around. Snow was about 18 inches by Opal.

I saw 3 groups of people on my way back, 2 of those groups with overnight gear planning to stop at Jade. 

Sad I made it so close to Tank lakes but didn't get there. Will come back again! 19 miles, 4,600 ft of gain...not a bad day! 8 hours, 45 minutes car to car with some time for route finding along the way.

Where to begin this trip report. Firstly, a huge thanks to Ultra Pedestrian and Co for coming up with a beautiful Wilderness Challenge (UPWC). The route is a point-to-point run between I-90 and Highway 2. Our group followed the advice of many others who recommended doing this from North to South, and we heartily agree. We completed the route as a single day push - 15 hours, and our GPS clocked in slightly above 30 miles and 10k feet of gain.

The route at this point is entirely snow free. Headed up from Seattle at 3:30 in the morning and were on trail by 5:30. The Necklace Valley Trailhead was packed with cars for backpackers when we arrived, and so we had to park along the side of the road. Don't forget your Northwest Forest/America the Beautiful pass. The trailhead bathroom is still definitely closed.

The hike through Necklace Valley is wonderfully relaxing, but has just enough ups and downs to warm you up and keep things interesting. Starting at 5:30 meant we needed headlamps for all of 15 minutes before we had enough light. We meandered through forests until reaching the first lake (Jade Lake). You gain approx 1000 feet, but it's pretty spread out and manageable. The trail is muddy in spots and a bit rocky and rooty - would've been much more challenging with a backpacking backpack.

Continuing on past Jade, Emerald, and Opal Lakes you can spot La Bohn Gap up ahead. Make sure you hang left whenever possible, hugging the valley wall. We went right, and ended up climbing the boulder field directly in front of us. We spent 30 minutes climbing the boulders before we realized we were entirely off our GPX track.

We backtracked and found the climbers trail which is directly next to a waterfall. This is the route, though it is highly non-obvious on approach. This is one of the steeper sections of the route, but breaking out on the ridge, next to the source of the waterfall is otherworldly.

The chain lakes section was a sweet relief after the big climb, but soon the descent began and the boulder navigation began again. Again, there is no snow in this section. This is technically considered the "off-trail" section, but common human footpaths and game trails make for pretty easy navigation. One particular point of note is the stunning abandoned copper mine. The deep shaft was filled with water and the colors were absolutely breathtaking. Make sure not to miss this!

The descent down to Williams Lake is arduous and definitely slow going. Lots of boulder scrambling required. The lake also doesn't have a well-defined trail on the north side and we spent some time wrapping around until we finally hit the actual trail. This scene is magnificent - with towering rock faces all around you and an emerald green alpine lake perfectly placed between them. This is a cruisy running section, and we drastically picked up our pace here.

The section passed Williams Lake is a bit nondescript, but fairly quick as you are again on established trail. You are deep in the valley now. There are overgrown sections along the way, but eventually you will make it to Dutch Miller Gap and a road (gasp!). This really took us out of the "wilderness" aspect of the wilderness challenge, and as soon as we could we hopped on the Middle Fork Trail to immerse us back in it.

The Middle Fork Trail was good running terrain again, though nature was really out to get us in this section. We had two very close encounters with snakes on the trail, as well as an angry bee which stung one of our members. Eventually you hit a bridge with a split to Goldmyer Hot Springs, and you should head towards the Hot Springs. Huge shout out to the Goldmyer caretaker who gave us some fun trivia about the area and was a very kind dude.

We continued up the path to Goldmyer, down through their campsites, and then to a river crossing which required some log traversal to get across. One thing to note - there were unlimited water sources along this trail. We refilled numerous times and never ran out.

You then begin what is, in my opinion, the main crux of the challenge - climbing up to Red Pass. This section of trail is unmaintained and initially pretty hard to find. Hang left passed the river and eventually you will begin climbing. And climbing.. and climbing. Tons of debris all over the trail, blowdowns to go over and under, and unlimited zigging and zagging as you go from 2200' to 5400'. This section was a bit of a slog for our crew, especially after having already done 20+ miles. Luckily, the bonk hit each of us at different times, and we were able to maintain a consistent pace to the top.

After the long climb you reach a ridge, thinking that you've done the full climb as the trail begins to descend. Don't be fooled like us, you're not done! The trail immediately begins climbing again. The temperature was dropping and the winds began howling as we did this section, so we hustled up to Red Pass just to keep warm.

Once you hit the pass, all the gain you just acquired is descent down into Commonwealth Basin. This stretch has beautiful vistas and terrain. I would hate to have been going the opposite direction up it. You descend down into the basin until you reach a sign that ominously says "abandoned" but it was honestly the most maintained abandoned trail I have ever seen. Take this trail and avoid the PCT Section J! Eventually you will make it out at Snoqualmie Pass.

Overall this was an awesome, inspiring route. Make sure you do it with people you love, and it will make all the difficult parts more bearable. Also, the mosquitoes weren't too bad unless you stopped for any amount of time (especially around bodies of water), so don't stop. Finally, big thanks to David and Peter for pushing me through it and to Alex for picking us up at the finish line when we rolled in all haggard at 8:30, an hour later than initially estimated.