Headliner, though I know budget cuts are a crisis – miles 2-5 need a little love or a lot of traffic to keep them from being swallowed up! The footing itself is in excellent shape there, but in many stretches you’re getting brushed head to toe by undergrowth, feeling your way along the path below the plants.

Thank you to previous reports for recommending pants and long sleeves. If you’re going early, make them waterproof! Thanks to the dew, I was quite wet by the time I passed mile 5 and started climbing. After that point, the undergrowth is gone and you can concentrate on the steep rocks and roots!

Road: last 3 miles unpaved; first 2 in great shape, last 1 has some (mostly avoidable) potholes. Close to the trailhead, you’ll come to a fork; stay right.
Bathroom: clean and stocked.
Bugs: come prepared. They’re everywhere.
Crossings: my feet got wet, but only because of the dewy undergrowth! No tricky crossings.
Climb: hard, but not as bad as I thought. The ridiculously steep sections leave room for some short but mercifully flat ones in between.
Lakes: Jade was jade, Emerald was orange (didn’t look healthy), and Ilswoot was turquoise! So close and so completely different. Ilswoot was stunning, but had yellow residue on the shore.
Navigation: between lakes, the many boot paths really were a maze. Even with Gaia, which showed some but not all of them, it got confusing.

Snow: none on the trail. I realized I’d forgotten my phone charger, I so turned around after those three lakes, just to play it safe.
People: ran into people four times. Two cars at 7:20 AM; six when I got back at 5:15 PM.

Flat, overgrown 5 miles: 2 hours
Climb to Jade: 2.5 hours
Rested and explored between lakes: 2 hours.
Descent: 2 hours
The 5 miles again: 1.5 hours.

I just got back and I already can’t wait to visit this trail again! Hoping to make it to La Bohn Gap next time, or somewhere near there.

Had a nice 1 night backpack to Jade & Emerald Lake. Nearly snow free, the snow really began after Emerald Lake so we stopped there. Some mosquitoes on and off during the hike. Would recommend wearing pants for first four miles as there was a very narrow path with lots of stinging nettle. Nice to get out this early in the season!

I day hiked 6 miles in - Lovely trail, a little overgown in spots as others have mentioned. Just after mile 4 there were stinging nettles on the left side of the trail- they got me going and coming.  The bridge across the creek is slighlt washed out - you have to go off trail and climb over some obstacles to get to it without getting wet feet but it is possible.  trail starts climbing after that crossing. No snow on trail till mile 6 - looking at snow map looks almost free all the way to Jade Lake.   

Oh - spider webs/strands almost constantly going and coming - productive little guys 

The trail is snow free for at least the first 5 miles, with a few blow downs that are not difficult to navigate. Trilliums are in perfect full bloom. Bleeding hearts and fairy slippers are showing foliage, but not blooming just yet. Great day! We turned around at the 5 mile mark where the bridge crosses the river. 

This was a nice hike in the Cascadian woods. The road up from highway 2 was gravel with a few potholes, but fine for my civic coupe. For a midweek hike, there was only 1 other car at the trailhead. The bathroom was freshly cleaned, do your best by keeping it that way people. The trail itself was in good condition, but there are a few slippery spots and some of the logs over crossings were loose so keep that in mind. There were 2 blowdowns of big trees you will have to climb over but it is not difficult. My friend and I hiked to around the 5 mile mark, then hiked back. It was drizzling on the way back but we stayed dry in our rain coats and water repellant pants. I like how this trail wanders through alternating patches of deciduous forests and dark mossy coniferous forests. Maybe someday I'll make it to Opal or Jade lakes.