Our overnight into Necklace valley was perfect for this time of year. We arrived on a sunny, warm Saturday to a uncrowded parking lot and started hiking. The first 5 miles was a gentle hike though forests and bright green meadows. The flowers are just starting to bloom. At the 5 mi campsite, we had lunch and dipped our feet into the water. Note, after the campsite, cross a creek, via a low log, and then aprox. 200 ft past the be sure to take a right at the carin, across the fork of the creek on an old, worn log. At this point you will immediately start your ascent on scree. There are plenty of carins to get you though this part. After this, the trail gets very steep. The hike up to the lakes is a constant ascent through scree, forest, and sub-alpine terrain. The tread can be really rough in spots. The views are certainly worth the sweat, thought!! The lakes were completely serene. It was sunny with no wind. Some snow on the trail and on the lakes. Everything is still melting at this elevation. There are a maze of trails around the lakes, so make sure you bring a good topo so finding the designated campsites isn't a headache. We found a campsite and slept comfortably. We also found an old, dilapidated cabin that was once used as a shelter for campers. It had a pit toilet near it, which was nice! Sunday we hiked out and were back at the car by 2PM. Finally, please always remember to Leave No Trace! We found an ancient metal canister near the lakes full of fresh camper garbage. Not cool.

I went to the bridge across the East Fork, which is just under 11 miles and ~1000 ft of elevation gain roundtrip. The bridge looked pretty solid, with a nice handrail (not a handwire). The road to the trailhead is in good condition – a few potholes but nothing that will slow you down much. Sedans should be fine. The trail ranges from perfectly flat to gently rolling. There are a few rocky rooty sections, but you quickly forget about that during the long stretches of trail covered in cushy pine needles. There were some very light patches of snow sprinkled like powdered sugar across the trail, but definitely no need for snowshoes, spikes, or anything other than trail runners. More pics and details here: http://evergreenendurance.com/2015/04/25/trip-report-east-fork-of-the-foss/

Hidden inside this backpacking destination is a nugget of a great dayhike! The trail is like the Seahawk wave, it heads up and away from the water, then drops down, repeating this pattern until the log bridge crossing the river is reached. The hike starts out above the E Fork Foss river and follows good trail along the bench. Cross Burn Creek on an old log puncheon bridge that looks a little iffy, but seems to be sturdy. Cross several more side creeks, unfortunately dry with lack of snowmelt right now. Drop down to the first swampy area and listen for frogs, it's amazing how loud they can be! There is lots of old puncheon trail thru the swampy areas, lined right now with blooming skunk cabbage. Be careful, the boards are slick and some are loose. Head up again, then around 3 miles in there is a nice campsite by the river to eat and turn around. The next two miles are up again, then down to an open area, then thru the woods to the nice campspot along the river. We crossed the log and ate on the far side. By walking out on the river bar (sad to say, quite wide and dry compared to what it has been in past years), there is a good clear view of Mt Hinman (I think). There was someone camped there, and high in a tree was a bear bag. Good thing, there was sign everywhere along the trail, fresh scat, torn up old logs, and trampled brush. We heard birdsong and saw lots of butterflies. Cheerful little yellow wood violets greeted us as we hiked and there is trillium everywhere. The Calypso orchids are in bloom now, we were thrilled to see a white variation. I will post a picture on the WTA photo collection for April. A couple of notes: there are several blowdowns, easily managed. The Foss road has been regraded and not as bad as it has been. The toilet is unlocked. We saw few people, a handful of backpackers and one group of dayhikers. Oddly enough, it was the same group we ran into last year. (HI Dawn!) This trail is not overrun with people,so I almost kept this hike to myself. In all fairness, I've gotten in some nice hikes because other hikers have been willing to share, so good karma.

The hike to the river crossing is snow free. The river at the crossing is running very low and with the log jams the river appears to be fairly easy and safe to cross. I passed several people outfitted to camp. Lots of blow down. The plants along the forest floor were spectacular (look and listen)..Enjoy! 10 miles RT for me today.

Do you like moss? Do you like fuzz? Do you like fuzzy moss that you can rub your face on and marvel at it's softness? If the answer is yes to any of those questions than you must hike the East Fork of the Foss River towards Necklace Valley. I only hiked far enough to reach the first bridge due to a late start, but from what I saw I'm probably going to head back tomorrow and try to get to the lakes in 1 day. As long as I don't get distracted rubbing my face on the wonderful carpets of moss. The trail is in good condition as far as the first bridge. a couple of blowdowns here and there but nothing you can't just step over. The road to the trailhead is also in pretty good condition with only some moderately sized (read:non Prius eating) potholes. Can't wait to go back!