After climbing Black Peak on Friday and seeing that the smoke would be returning to that area overnight, I drove back down to my "backyard" where the skies seemed a bit clearer.  Settled on a foray into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness that was a bit open ended. I knew i wanted to head to La Bohn Gap from the East Fork of the Foss but once I was there, I wasn't sure where exactly I would go (if anywhere) given the smoke conditions.

Arrived at a very full parking lot at 8:00 AM Saturday. Quickly got my stuff together and then headed out on the trail. The first four and a half miles melted by quickly and I forgot just how pleasant this section of trail is.  No major obstacles to report and the overgrown sections have been cleaned up! 

Then began the climb to Necklace Valley.  Again, the trail is in good shape, with some muddy sections and blowdowns to navigate but nothing serious. 

Once up in the valley, the smoke had moved in unfortunately. I continued on to the basin below La Bohn Gap and then followed the "trail" up next to the waterfall.  Forgot what a grunt this was!  It is marked well with cairns and once you are up next to the lakes, the effort is worth it.  The smoke was pretty dense so the views were mostly of ridges and mountains faintly discernible.  I bagged the idea of climbing Hinman and instead dropped down into Chain Lakes as I have never been in that area when it was snow free.

Incredible spot!  Big boulders, bare rock and old mining artifacts are to be found in this basin. I can imagine the views are tremendous on a clear day as well.  

Ended up circling around in this area before decided to call it a day and head back.  Lots of folks coming up as I returned to my car.

22 miles round trip. 

This trip was a three day, two night backpack trip, camping the first night at Jade Lake and the second at Lower La Bohn Lake. Smoke was an issue on this trip. Friday was okay, Saturday was worse (especially in the morning), and Sunday was pretty bad. It's a pity because otherwise conditions would have been excellent, with good weather and bugs not too bad. 

The East Fork Foss River trail is as advertised, flat and easy for the first 5 miles, then relentlessly uphill for a few miles after that. Fortunately, there are plenty of berries on the uphill section to distract from the pain. On Friday, a lot of the people we met were heading out past Necklace Valley to higher country, leaving Necklace Valley surprisingly quiet. No one else was camped at Jade. Took the rest of the afternoon to walk to nearby lakes. Emerald and Ilswoot are easy to access, and Al and Locket are a bit harder. I liked how the lakes were different from each other, in color, size, and situation. Lots of little frogs jumping around. 

Past the end of the trail, travel gets more difficult. There are cairns marking the way up to LaBohn lakes so navigation isn't much of an issue, but the "trail" is mostly boulderfields and the rest is steep tread through the forest of the veggie belay variety. From Lower LaBohn over to Chain Lakes, it's pretty much pick your route through the boulders. There's a lot to explore down there, with a handful of little lakes, the old mine remnants, and some interesting rocks and minerals. 

Question:  The guide above says that if you make a loop going up Necklace Valley and coming down by Big Heart Lake, "From either one may gain the West Fork of the Foss River. This trail will join Road #68 just one mile south of where your car is parked at the east fork trailhead!"

The Green Trails Map appears to me to indicate you would be more like 3 miles from your car.  

Can someone clarify this?

Thanks.

This is a fantastic trail. Almost no switchbacks, and great views the majority of the way. I was aspiring to make the loop around Iron Cap Mtn and down the West Fork Foss trail, but the cloud cover was so low and thick at tank lakes that I didn't feel comfortable wandering off trail in low visibility. Especially since the only directions I had for this section we're based off landmarks that I couldn't see. 

Trail is in great shape, but degrades to mostly following cairns past Opal lake. There are many options for additional lakes to visit along the way for a bit of extra effort. Ilswoot is worth stopping by, the color is spectacular. Even on the most crowded of days, there will likely be an abundance of camping spots to pick from all along the trail. 

Only two other parties were camped at Tank Lakes. I passed a third on the way up who said they would be camping there but I never saw them after that. Mountains only offered peak a boo views, but sometimes those are the best views anyway. Will definitely be repeating this hike, and hopefully completing the loop. 

This is pretty daunting for a dayhike, but doable! Left the TH at 730a and arrived at Jade Lake by noon with a few water stops and a long snack stop at a waterfall. Looped around Opal Lake before stopping back at Jade for a swim and lunch. There are a lot of water sources along the way, but bring your filter. Bugs were present (mosquitoes and blackflies) but I only applied DEET once the entire hike. 

Was hoping for some solitude (I really want to skinny dip!) but as soon as I got my daypack off a hoard of 20+ people started streaming in by Jade. I guess it's more popular than I thought. 

Saw 2 friendly rangers and quite a few pups on the trail. There is a $5 day use fee in addition to the Northwest Forest Pass. Also dont forget to grab a *free* Wilderness Permit at the trailhead! Important! :) There are some designated camp sites along the way, some are close to the trail, but if you're not at a designated camping spot, please don't just set up your tent ON the trail. Saw a lot of tents on the trail or within 200ft of water... just a reminder!

All in all, after 18.3 mi and ~4600 ft elevation gain, we were back at the TH by 545p. We spent about 2 hours at Jade, too.