We set out for 2 nights in the Necklace Valley. This was our first trip out here and we cannot wait to come back. Shout out to the US Open for airing on Father's day so I could get out into the mountains... I owe ya one dad!

We were on the trail by 11:07 am. The first five miles is a lovely jaunt. It's luscious and so so green. Going through the boggy areas, the brush covers the trail, I would suggest pants. Several nettles lining the trail as well.

The creek crossing was fine on the way in. We stopped for lunch and to cool off. 

The climb surprised me even though everything I read amply warned me. Up and up. Once we got to Jade lake, it was Chacos on, in the water and around to the other side. Exhilarating! 

A nice young man we passed earlier told us to camp at Emerald lake and that's just what we did. 

Set up camp there and had the place to ourselves for two nights. The only people we saw were 3 guys heading out from Tank Lakes. They were taking a break at the cabin. 

Spent Monday exploring to Ilswoot, Opal, Al and Locket Lakes. Scouted some great campsites for "next time."  

It rained Tuesday morning making the hike out a soaker. The water levels were higher, so the creek crossing was a little trickier, but we managed just fine. 

Not a ton of wildlife; gray jays, lots o' ants, mosquitos and flies. Frogs and Garter snakes. Saw an owl on the way out! Passed a solo guy who was planning to climb Mt Hinman. I hope he did!

Stopped at Zekes on the way home for burgers and shakes. 

I will start by saying the trail is relatively snow free until you pass Jade Lake. I was day hiking in another area and left the trailhead at 7pm, just knocked out a couple miles to make the next day shorter. Other reports have said about 4.5 miles in there’s a stretch of nettles. 

After crossing the creek, which is tricky because the creek is high due to snow melt, the climbing begins. This is by no means a trail you’re going to set any speed records on. It’s rooty, rocky, and has a fair share of larger step-ups. Similar to Lake Serene. There are some steep section for the next three miles but I never found the grade obnoxious. The brush however, OBNOXIOUS. Ha. Not really that bad but be ready to deal with lots of overgrowth. 

Jade lake is beautiful, I had to put on my crocs to get around the lake  the water was never deep but be prepared this time of year to get your feet wet. 

Emerald lake is equally beautiful, and opal as well. I wished I could have bushwhacked some more, camped another night and explored but I had a 9 mile trek home and no food for another night. 

Bugs are out in force I only got bit a couple times but I sprayed often. If you go past jade lake and start running into the snow fields proceed with caution and use common sense and I don’t think you will have any issues. That said there’s lots of running water under all the melting snow fields. By the end of June I’d be surprised if the snow isn’t all melted. 

Great hike! Made it all the way up to Opal Lake. It was pretty much smooth sailing up to Jade Lake. The trail was rather brushy, and right before the main crossing of the East Fork Foss River, so about 4.5 miles into the hike, there is a quarter-mile section of trail with quite a bit of stinging nettle. Other than that, the brush was innocuous. We dropped our packs and set up camp at the campsite next to the East Fork Foss river crossing, then kept going up to the lakes. In the last 500 feet up to Jade Lake there was a bit of snow that could be tricky, but we took our time and there was no problem. 

Making it around the lake was no problem. We went on past the lake - it took minimal looking to find the trail past Jade Lake. As long as you have a halfway decent map and look in the right direction, you can find it. It is a bit snowy past the lake. We made it past the cabin and explored Emerald Lake. We also bushwacked up to the ridge to peer down at Iiswoot Lake, which was beautiful, but definitely did not go all the way down to the Iiswoot Lake. There is still too much snow to make route finding particularly easy. We made it all the way to Opal Lake, but it was slow going. You definitely want to be careful where you step. There are snow fields to cross with definite risk of post-holing. But we took our time and again didn't have too much trouble! It looks like in another week it will be much clearer, and in two weeks or so it should be melted out completely. 

Hiked to Jade Lake via the East Fork Foss TH. First 5 miles was lovely: rolling swales took us up and down through a delightful second growth forest. Wildflowers, birds, babbling brooks and waterfalls, multiple species of fern unfurling all along the way. Upon reaching the river crossing, we had to wade a few feet to get to the log bridge, but this was minor. Head to the left once you reach the other side and find a long, beat-up log that will take you to the bottom of what becomes a grueling ascent up to Jade Lake. Why grueling? Hand over hand (mano a rocca) climbing for a brief spell, followed by a rocky, straight up trail to the lake. The trail is steep and poses various challenges--high steps up boulders, some slippery muddy spots, and towards the lake, a rather dicey little snow field where the snow beneath is carved out and one could easily plunge knee or waist deep. This snowfield should be melted out in a few weeks. I'd suggest not attempting the ascent to Jade unless you're pretty fit and an experienced hiker, as the trail gets a little hard to distinguish in the last 1/2 mile or so. All of this said--it was a fantastic hike. Nothing better than getting dirty and sweaty and tired, and feeling totally alive. Jade was still covered in ice/snow, though this is gradually diminishing. There was just enough space to sit on the granite plinths and sunbathe, snowcapped peaks as the backdrop. Nary  a soul up there, either!

Did an overnight starting on Sunday and made it to emerald lake in about 4 hours. Like other trip reports say the snow starts just before jade lake. We did this with trail running shoes and it was not difficult. At jade lake we stayed high and avoided walking over the ice. Instead of crossing the creek at the head of jade lake we walked up the left side and boulder hopped and managed to keep our feet dry. There are two campsites we found at emerald lake which are snow free, one next to the cabin and one about halfway up the lake. In the morning we checked out ilswoot lake from the ridge above it for a great view. Great early season trip!