We headed up for an overnight Saturday around 10am - this is a beautiful valley but takes some work to reach. The trail has been logged for the first three miles, but then encounters some blowdown and lots of brush, including a nice stinging nettle section around mile 4. There was no snow until after the lakes. We had planned on trying to get up to La Bohn lakes and maybe try for Hinman Sunday morning, but didn't make it. We headed up the valley and turned left up the snow/talus slope following carins until about 5,400 feet, at which point the route became all snow. We got another 100ft up the snow and got cliffed out (might have been too far right) so decided the safest move was to head back and camp at Opal. The snow was very steep so we downclimbed, thankful for our ice axes and crampons. We found a great campsite, tossed on the bug nets, and enjoyed a good evening. The stars came out overnight and we checked out a few of the other lakes on the way down.

Great hike overall up to Jade and Opal Lakes. A few things to be aware of however, is the overgrown brush on the trail - you're going to want long pants! Also some very muddy, slippery & steep trail. Definitely passable, but you'll want your trekking poles. The other important note, is the bugs at the top. The ranger said they're better than most years, but they are rather terrible as long as the sun is out. Even in the morning, they were swarming around us when we stood still. Thankfully, we had grabbed a couple of $3.99 bug nets for over our hats from Big 5 on the way there, and went about our exploring business as usual! Cannot suggest highly enough to bring bug hats with you. Great views at the top, tons of water along the way, beautiful waterfalls to be seen. Enjoy!

My boyfriend and I had wanted to do the Meander Meadows / Dishpan Gap / Cady Ridge loop for a one night overnight, but after driving all the way out there, we found the road gated off miles from the trailhead. We didn't see any mention of this closure on WTA or the Forest Service website, so we were disappointed to say the least. Not wanting to miss out on a beautiful sunny weekend, we quickly reconfigured our plans and backtracked to the trailhead for the Necklace Valley (a good two hour detour). FYI we attempted to stop off at the Lake Wenatchee Ranger Station for some help choosing a different destination, but it looks like that station is permanently closed. We arrived at the Necklace Valley trailhead at noon and starting hiking in the midday heat. The first several miles of this hike are relatively low-key. Some up and down, but nothing too strenuous. There were some downed trees along the way, heavy brush, and a really nasty patch of stinging nettles to be aware of. After 3 miles from the trailhead, I'd recommend putting on long pants and sleeves to protect your skin from the nettles. They seriously suck! After about 5 miles you'll encounter a second stream crossing over a log. After this second crossing, the going gets very steep and muddy at times. Couple the elevation gain with the blistering 90 degree heat, and we were exhausted by the time we reached Jade Lake. We were tempted to push on to some of the higher lakes (Locket and Opal), but it was late in the day and all we could think about was relaxing at camp and having dinner. The first obvious campsite at Jade Lake was taken, but the two gentleman who had staked it out told us there was another one at the southern end of the lake. Getting there was a bit of a challenge. The water in the lake was pretty high and so going around the left (east) side was impassable (unless you wanted to go for a swim). The right (west) side was doable, although there was some scrambling and snowfield crossing required. We took it slow and made it without issue. We set up camp, pumped water at the lake and settled in for the evening. The bugs were a bit of a bummer after all that effort. The gnats just wouldn't quit, so I'd definitely recommend a bug hat or net. All in all we made the most of the weekend. Jade Lake was pleasant and the hike was a great workout. Would really like to try this trip again and continue further to see what the other lakes are like.

Last weekend I was watching it rain outside and looking at a weather report for next week that looked great - Sun everywhere and mild temperatures. So I planned to take the Holiday Weekend and see if enough snow had melted to get up to the Tank lakes area. Unfortunately the weather changed - although the rain was light it ended up being colder and windier than I anticipated, so I cut my hike short at Opal Lake. Overall it was a great weekend given the weather. There were a couple of fairly large groups camping by the river before the trail heads upward toward Necklace Valley, but it was fairly lightly trafficked beyond the bridge. The trail is in pretty good condition considering the winter and the rain - some muddy areas, multiple blow-downs, etc. One of the blow-downs seemed like it might be challenging to get over for some hikers, but the rest were more inconvenient than difficult (just before the last bridge on the trail). There was no snow on the trail until the last quarter-mile or so before Jade Lake, but after that point it is still pretty deep and the trail(s) are fully covered. I continued on to Opal lake, but started to get cold due to the strong wind blowing down the valley and chose to leave the trip up to Tank lakes for another day. The roads to the trail are still in decent shape - watch out for some fairly large pot holes, but nothing that you can't drive around.

Memorial Day weekend this year was all about being flexible. We set out with the plan of hiking into Tank Lakes or Chain Lakes - setting up camp on Saturday, a quick trip up Hinman on Sunday and back out early Monday morning. The weekend had other plans for us. Saturday was quite wet. Between the rain, the sweat trapped in by our shells, and the water-covered brush we were fairly soaked. The downed trees across the trail are more of an inconvenience than anything else. The incline after crossing the river was fairly intense - we calculated it to be about 1000ft/mile. We made it as far as Jade Lake and set up camp. Our tent broke and our rainfly started leaking which made for an interesting night. We woke up the next morning to more rain and decided to cash in our chips and head back to the car. We will be back to explore on a drier weekend with our new tent.