We just had a fantastic 3-day, 2-night family backpacking weekend up in the Necklace Valley, with side excursions up to the Tank Lakes and La Bohn Lakes. There were 4 of us, with 2 kids ages 10 and 12. We got started on Friday 8/2 around 11:30 at the trailhead. We opted for a bit of a later start due to the mild rain showers rolling through on Friday into the mid afternoon. There were about 10 cars in the parking lot, so it wasn't too crowded and we only encountered a handful of people on the trail. As reported elsewhere, the first 5 miles are mostly flat until you cross the river. The ascent starts at about the 5.5 mile mark, and is a good 3 mile climb up to Jade Lake. Yes, it was a tough climb, as expected. We hiked further to the cabin at Emerald Lake, which is where you can branch off to Locket Lake to the right (a side trail heading west just before the cabin), or to Ilswoot Lake to the left (skirting Emerald Lake to the east, crossing the outlet creek, and then descending a short hill to the south end of Ilswoot). We opted to set up camp at Ilswoot, which was isolated, quiet, and a beautiful large lake. There are really only 2 campsites that we could find at Ilswoot, and both are adjacent to one another at the bottom of the trail down from Emerald. However, we did not see a single person come down to Ilswoot over the 3 days we were there. It was a great spot with excellent lake access. Overall, it was approx 9.5 miles from the trailhead. We arrived at approx 6:30, just in time for dinner, and we were all starving after the hike in! 

On Saturday 8/3, we got up and spent the morning fishing at Ilswoot, having breakfast, and taking it easy. The 10-year old caught a number of cutthroats and rainbows on various flies in sizes ranging from 8" to 14". We released all fish. The mosquitoes were not as bad as we had expected (based on other trail reports), although we did use our mosquito nets at times. We left camp at 10:00 Saturday morning, and hiked past Emerald and Opal to the end of the Necklace Valley, which was about a mile from the cabin. We encountered a trio of backpackers coming down from La Bohn Gap who explained the routes both to the La Bohn Lakes and the Tank Lakes. We chose to head up to the Tank Lakes for lunch, and hiked up the long boulder field to the right (southwest) of the valley. The hike is not too steep, but is probably about 2 miles from the end of the valley to the Tank Lakes. There were a few cairns here and there to help with navigation. We got up to the top at around 12:00, and spent a good hour having lunch, soaking our feet, and enjoying the view of Summit Chief and Chimney Rock over the lake. We left at about 1:00, and got down within an hour to the end of the Necklace Valley. The 10-year old and mom went back to camp, and the 12-year old and I decided to head up to the La Bohn lakes. Without the help of the group we had seen earlier, I doubt that we would have figured out the trail. When at the end of the Necklace Valley, on the left (east) side, you can see a small waterfall, which is the outlet creek from the La Bohns. We ascended the boulder field to the right of the waterfall until we reached a rock wall. At that point, you can see a cairn to your left, which is the start of a trail that zig zags straight up, roughly adjacent to (and to the right of) the La Bohn outlet creek. It's probably only about a mile up, but it is extremely strenuous and vertical! We were gassed once we got to the top, but it only took around 30 minutes from the bottom of the valley. We wandered around, and found all 3 La Bohn lakes, only seeing one other guy up at the top. It was extremely rewarding and the views looking back out towards the Necklace Valley were breathtaking. All in all, we were up at the La Bohn Lakes for about an hour, then headed back down. The descent wasn't as hard as we were expecting, and we got down in no time, and then headed back to camp, arriving at around 5:00. We ate dinner by the lake, and then hiked over to Locket, and then to Jade to do a bit of fishing, but the fish were all pretty small there.

On Sunday morning, the 12-year old caught her first Alpine Lakes trout, a nice 10" rainbow, and I also caught a large 15"-16" rainbow on a parachute adams dry fly. We packed up and left camp around 11:00, arriving at the trailhead at 5:00. Overall, it was an awesome weekend!

Gorgeous hike! Made a personal 1-day mileage record to boot. Started at 7:30am, got to the first camp at 5.2mi by 9:30am. Bogged down as the grade and temperature rose after that and it took me a couple more hours (including a few water breaks) to get to Jade Lake. Caught a second wind as the grade leveled out in the valley and spent a good amount of time wandering around before heading back. Left the Valley at 2pm and arrived at the parking lot at 5:30pm.

Aimed for Opal Lake but apparently took a trail that went west of it, still got a nice view of La Bohn Gap. The slope under the Gap still has a snow field for anyone looking to climb it.

So many frogs! Deer tracks in the mud. Butterflies everywhere. Some of the blueberries, trailing blackberries, and thimbleberries are ripe, and plenty of wildflowers. Flying bugs were around but not too many interested in biting. Only saw a few other parties today, all of them overnighters.

Foss Lakes High Route Trail Report

July 13-15, 2019 

Many trail reports exist detailing this route, and I’ll include them in a footnote for reference as they were indispensable for planning our expedition.  As others have pointed out, this route is best for those with a wealth of backcountry experience, and it requires careful planning and thoughtful preparation.

Our route from Big Heart to the East Fork: https://caltopo.com/m/1G7M

Day 1: West Fork Foss River Trailhead to Chetwoot Lake

Some friends graciously agreed to help Jesse and I place a car at the Necklace Valley Trailhead so that we could avoid the road walk between trailheads.  We had planned to hit the trail together around 8:45am, but some extenuating circumstances delayed Jesse’s start, and he joined later in the day.

The trip up the West Fork of the Foss River has become increasingly popular over the past several years, and rightfully so – what beautiful country!  Old growth Douglas Fir grace the trail to Trout Lake.  Hike up to Copper Lake through slopes of vine maple, with views of a waterfall across the valley to make your climb more interesting.  We stopped briefly at Copper lake for a bite to eat.  Our friends turned back and I continued on my way, passing droves of campers and fly fisherpeople.

Always grateful for the fine folks who volunteer to maintain this trail – they have done much work in recent years, including an excellent rebuild of the trail through a slide before Trout Lake, and they continue to improve access to latrines, much needed with the recent increase in use! 

Despite their good efforts to limit impact, there are unfortunately ample signs of thoughtless hikers and backpackers, including improperly disposed of toilet paper (should be buried 6-8” deep, far from trails, campsites, and water sources) and fire rings with beer cans and trash (fires are not allowed at any of the West Fork Lakes, pack it in/pack it out and leave no trace!).  Teach your friends who are new to the region and eager to explore how to preserve this enchanting wilderness for future generations!

I pressed on to my fishing spot at Little Heart Lake where callibaetis were rising from the still water, and produced two beautiful cutthroat trout, one typical small alpine laker and another chap with some girth to him.  I wasn’t fishing for long before I heard Jesse’s whistle across the lake.  Having gotten a late start he had made excellent time to Little Heart, and we resumed our trek around 2:30pm. 

We made relatively good time to Big Heart remarking per our usual habit that the distance between Little Heart and Big Heart always feels a little longer than posted to us.  It’s past Big Heart that the real adventure begins. . .

A well-worn boot track (marked on some maps as the “Chetwoot Lake Trail”) leads up and over the narrow spine between Big Heart and Angeline Lakes.  The track is relatively well worn but at times the way forward required some sleuthing to determine.  Stunning views down on Big Heart and Angeline, both gloriously large, deep, and dark blue.  This section of trail is quite challenging, with steep ups and downs, and we were fairly well beat when we reached the “famous” tarn in the shadow of Tourmaline Peak.  Two groups were camped at the tarn, and we pressed on for Chetwoot in the hopes of gaining a stronger starting point for the next day. 

Saturday night at Chetwoot with the lake to ourselves, we ate a well-deserved dinner of rehydrated goods, reduced pack weight through consumption of libations, and scrubbed off the salt in the outlet of Chetwoot.  I dropped a fly line in Chetwoot near the outlet to no avail as wind swept across the lake, and set my pole aside for the morning.  We fell asleep to overcast skies and slept hard after the 11 or so challenging miles under our belts

Day 2: Chetwoot Lake to Tank Lakes

We awoke to blue skies and high white clouds.  We broke camp quickly, and before packing up I took my rod down to the inlet of Little Chetwood lake, where the trout were eager to attack a black ant.  Sipping on coffee we watched a carpet of clouds roll up into the mountains and over the surface of Angeline Lake, hoping they wouldn’t affect our visibility for route-finding.

The traverse over/around iron cap has been described in many reports, with two strategies being most evident to my knowledge: the first is to gain the western ridge of iron cap and traverse ledges across the face of the peak, and the second to skirt the western ridge, funneling into the cirque containing Iron Cap Lake.  Both strategies eventually converge at a narrow portion of the Northeast ridge of Iron Cap that allows for safe passage.  Given that we were expecting to encounter some snow this early in the summer, we elected to skirt the western ridge, favoring that route to be safer.

We started on a boot track in a northeasterly direction from Chetwoot Lake, and traversed talus and heather slopes until the flat portion or ridge came into sight (as others have noted, the flat-topped portion of ridge at ~ elevation 5520ft is hard to miss).  Azure lake came into view, only just out of reach for a fishing trip on this particular trek.  Occasional steep snow fields made travel with ice axe a necessary precaution at times.  Maintaining a relatively constant elevation, we skirted around the ridge and into the cirque over a gently sloping snowfield.  Bright pink Davidson’s Penstemon highlighted carefully chosen ledges high on the walls surrounding the cirque.  Our tracks crossed those of some mountain cat, and the snow and ice-covered surface of Iron Cap Lake came into view.

We tossed a piece of Ingrid’s famous jerky into the cirque to distract the Balrog, and moved towards the outlet of the lake to begin the escape from Iron Cap.

After crossing the outlet of Iron Cap Lake and having just begun to ascend the slab on the Northeastern Ridge (perhaps 60ft of elevation gained from the outlet), look left to see a narrow (4-5 foot) wide ledge with an inconspicuous stunted shrub and perhaps a faint trickle of water if there’s any snow left.  A cairn was barely visible behind the shrub, and I traversed towards the ledge to explore.  Behold, the way off Iron Cap! 

It is subtle, and would be easy to miss.  Once acquiring the route, we were guided through talus and slab by thoughtfully placed cairns around the Northeastern ridge.  It is occasionally tempting to lose elevation and descend into steep chutes – DON’T.  If the way doesn’t seem safe, pause, return to a safe route, consult a topographic map or GPS, and cautiously explore uphill and downhill for evidence of a safe traverse or a guiding cairn.  We paused at an outcropping overlooking Otter Lake for lunch and enjoyed the views.

As we rounded the Northeast ridge, we gazed upon seemingly endless talus fields, and we began to plot a traverse.  In retrospect, we wished that we had taken a lower route, as the grade seemed more favorable.  We descended quickly into a picturesque valley and ascended the opposite slope quickly where we were ecstatic to pick up a faint boot path winding up onto the tableau.  With stunning views of Iron Cap, Overcoat and Chimney, Summit Chief, and Bear’s Breast, we paused to take in our magnificent surroundings.  We enjoyed some snacks and continued on towards Tank Lakes.  There was still some gain to Tank Lakes but our feet were thankful to be spared so much talus. 

The southernmost Tank Lake is truly a spectacle, and upon our arrival we gazed in awe at the peaks across the water.  A bald eagle graced us with their majestic presence ever so briefly.  We made camp on slab above the North Shore.  I gazed longingly for sign of fish, disappointed not to see any fish rings or schools of cutthroat hunting along the shore.  Having made camp, we quickly explored the northernmost Tank Lake, which appeared to be about as fishless, though I wasn’t stubborn enough to try my luck so I suppose I can’t declare it barren with absolute certainty.  We returned to camp, ate a hearty meal, drank whiskey, and watched the clouds dance and light change over Summit Chief, Chimney, and Overcoat.

Day 3: Tank Lakes to Necklace Valley Trailhead

Having planned to start with daybreak, we awoke to a morning shower and pressed the snooze button.  The torrents subsided and we broke camp with a wary eye on the clouds above.  We followed the use trail towards the northernmost Tank Lakes, bearing East to funnel into the Necklace Valley and towards Opal Lake.  Several moderately helpful cairns pointed out a route, and we picked our way across slab, talus, and scree, down to Opal lake.  Beautiful waterfalls trickled down the steep walls of the valley, and the rushing headwaters of the East Foss serenaded our descent. 

We stopped briefly to eat, and to fish the outlet of Emerald Lake after perusing the memorial cabin, where I pulled in two small trout on a beaded hare’s ear nymph as a steady rain distorted the water’s surface providing me with some cover from the vigilant eyes of the wary trout.  I left my rod assembled for the trek down to Jade Lake, where fishing the outlet with a small copper john nymph produced a couple more cutthroat.

Our hike out Necklace Valley had us counting the years of use on our knees, but we kept our spirits high and enjoyed passing old growth cedars, fungi of all varieties, an abundance of wildflowers including bear grass, columbine, bunchberry, fireweed, bleeding hearts, and queen’s cup, and the occasional stop to forage for huckleberry and thimbleberry.  We stopped once to lounge by cool water and were miraculously spared from the swarming mosquitos which had seemingly followed us all the way from Copper Lake.

We approached the Necklace Valley trailhead around 3:30PM after a long day out, and navigated the pothole-laced gravel road back to civilization, and of course, work. 

Tips:

• Study your route: read all the trail reports you can find, take a good topographic map and compass and/or a GPS system (we brought both)
• Consider bringing an emergency transponder – a twisted ankle could turn an adventure into a misadventure quickly, and far from help on this route. Move cautiously on talus and plan to give yourself AMPLE time for the off-trail portion of the route
• We were happy to have ice axes for several short, steep snowfields in mid-July
• Be prepared for mosquitos
• Bring pants or gaiters as the Necklace Valley trail is quite overgrown in parts
• Bring a fishing pole! Recommended patterns: renegade, black ant, parachute adams, pale morning dun, elk hair caddis, royal wulff, copper john, beaded hare’s ear, prince nymph, black wooly bugger  Bring some small patterns.

References:

https://harrybipedhiking.com/2016/08/25/alpine-lakes-high-route/

http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8027936

https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16795

I've hiked this trail a few times before but never did make it to Tank Lakes due to snow or aversion to route finding. This time around after successfully navigating other difficult trails I decided it was time to try again.  

The road in was just about how I remembered, smooth until shortly before the trailhead. Potholes a plenty but if you go slow you shouldn't have any problems. 

There were only 4 cars at the trailhead when I arrived a little before 9 am. As mentioned in other trail reports the first 5 miles are very brushy and overgrown at times. At around 4 miles the trail is so overgrown you can barely see where you're walking. I would strongly recommend pants or full coverage gaiters. I was in shorts and half gaiters, I got ripped up pretty good. 

At about 5 and half miles on the portion of the trail that elevation gain begins in earnest I had a pretty good scare. I heard rustling in the brush to my left and I looked over locking eyes with a medium-sized brown bear about 6 feet away from me. Fortunately it seemed like it wanted less to do with me than I did with it as it ran down the hillside as fast as it could. 

The rest of the trip up to the cabin was uneventful. The trail was in pretty good shape hardly any blow downs but muddy. The bugs were hardly noticeable until I got to the cabin when all of a sudden I was swarmed. I emptied the small bottle of spray I had with me and that worked a little.  I pressed on, didn't see any backpackers or other hikers until I was navigating the talus field when I saw guy on the ridge above me headed down. From then on it was just me and the whistle pigs. They serenaded me the rest of the way up. 

The last mile or so is still snow covered. Watch your footing as it is melting and there are some snow bridges. The lakes and surrounding mountains were absolutely beautiful. The lakes are still a little snow covered. The trek up was more than worth it, this is definitely a top 5 hike for me. Now I have another excuse to go back for an overnighter. 

Completed the La Bohn Traverse yesterday, June 29th.

Stats:

Mileage: 29.8 miles

Elevation gain: 10,042 ft

Start time: 7:45 AM

End time: 7:17 PM

Total time: 11 hr 32 min

Trip report:

Somehow I was able to convince my parents to take a little road trip that involved dropping us off at the Necklace Valley trailhead and picking us up at Snoqualmie Pass. So thankful they did that for us! We arrived at the Necklace Valley trailhead and started our journey at 7:45 AM. The bathroom at the trailhead is closed FYI.

The first 5 miles are a nice little warm up with rolling hills along the East Fork Foss River. Beware of the stinging nettles about 4 miles in. They weren't the worst thing I've experienced, but definitely not pleasant. The trail is in good condition, but a tiny bit overgrown so my shorts and socks were soaked from the dew on the plants. Once you cross the East Fork Foss River over a footbridge, the climbing begins.

The climb up to Jade Lake is pretty consistent and my legs were definitely feeling it from the long runs I've been doing every weekend for the past few months. We continued past Jade, Emerald, and Opal Lakes and got our first glimpse of La Bohn Gap. Wasn't too stoked to see that there was still a decent amount of snow (we were expecting this, but just hoping it would be more melted out) and that it looked pretty steep.

We got to the bottom of the gap and started to head up the boulder field until we were forced to start hiking on the snow. We slid on our microspikes and began the ascent. Austin and Leo went up first and I followed. Part way up the gap, my foot slipped and I started sliding down the snow field and was trying to dig my hands and feet in, but it was just too steep and I was going too fast. I flipped around so I was sliding on my butt and saw the boulders below, just hoping I could stop myself before I crashed into them and broke both my legs. I dug my heels in as hard as I could and thankfully stopped myself about 20 feet above the boulders. I ended up sliding about 50 feet and at the end of the day, my watch told me my max speed was 25 mile per hour. It was really scary, but I knew I had to get over the gap because there would be no way for us to get home if we went back to the Necklace Valley trailhead. So I made sure to kick steps in and really take my time. We decided to go on the snow as little as possible and take advantage of the exposed boulder fields. Finally made our way to the top and were greeted with the most amazing alpine views.

Apparently there is a climbers trail to the left of the actual gap that ascends next to a waterfall and is almost completely snow free. We did not know about this, but I would highly suggest going this way as it seems much safer.

We descended from the gap and made our way through Chain Lakes. Still plenty of snow here, but easy to navigate and we had no issues with post holing. Snow stops after you get through Chain Lakes and start descending to Williams Lake. The boulder field here is tedious and takes quite a bit of time to get through. Once we hit Williams Lake, we were able to start running again which felt really good. I accidentally slipped on a log crossing a stream outlet from Williams Lake and fully submerged in the stream. Thankfully my phone is fine (so far), but my snacks did get a little wet. It actually felt really good and wasn't too cold!

It's easy cruising down the Dutch Miller Gap trail all the way to Goldmyer Hot Spring, minus a couple sections that are overgrown which makes it hard to run because you can't see where you're stepping.

After we got to Goldmyer, we began our ascent up to Red Pass. Although La Bohn Gap was the most mentally exhausting part of the traverse, the climb up to Red Pass is the most physically exhausting. Lots of blow downs on the trail and it feels like the climbing will never stop. We finally made it to right below Red Pass where there is still come lingering snow. After my fall at La Bohn Gap, I was not happy to see the little bit of snow lingering here. Thankfully, we were able to go to the left of the snow field and do some scrambling on the rocks and make it to the top without having to deal with the snow.

Once we topped out at Red Pass, we made our descent to Snoqualmie Pass. You will come to a trail junction part way down where you have the option to go left to get on the PCT, but make sure to stay right where there is a sign that says "abandoned" to stay on the Commonwealth Basin trail. I should've taken a photo but I was tired and really wanted to beat the FKT of 11:34.

I ended up finishing in 11 hours and 32 minutes, Austin and Leo in 11 hours and 26 minutes. This traverse was amazing, beautiful, brutal, exhausting, and so much fun.

A few things to note: the mosquitoes are out and ready to feast. I have a few bites but nothing too crazy, I think mainly because we kept moving most of the day. Also, water sources are abundant over the whole traverse so that was never an issue.