My brother and I arrived at parking lot on a Tuesday with just a few cars in the lot.  There’s a trash can and vault toilet here.  Due to reviews regarding break ins, I made certain car was empty of anything and left everything open to reveal nothing of interest and fortunately no break in.  There was glass on the ground, evidence of previous break ins. There were mouse droppings inside car, however, so someone was curious.

The WTA profile is very accurate for the last 3 miles to Jade Lake.  Rocky, rooty, steep, and hot in the sun.  Thanks to logout volunteers, as there were no trees to clamber over.  We camped at Jade Lake and noticed there are several campsites near where we were and if one continues another quarter mile or so, there are a few at the Foss River crossing, then not too far up a short climb on other side, there are a few really nice, grassy campsites also.

Using Jade as basecamp, we hiked further up the valley passing Emerald and Opal lake.  At the cabin, there was an apparent bear sighting; we only heard it in the grasses.  Lots of berries.

Both on the way to Jade Lake and beyond, the trail is very brushy in sections but not difficult to navigate.  There are several rock scrambles, all marked with carins. 

Bugs were not as bad as they could have been and evenings were cool. A huge rock slide on far side of Jade lake, of course in the middle of the night.  It sounded like a freight train was going to mow us down. Plenty of water along the way even during this dry time.

Did the Foss / Iron Cap traverse as a single-day hike/run, though honestly there was a lot more hiking then running!

Conditions were largely the same as in Wanderlust Wookies' report from 7/7. Where there is trail, the trail was well-maintained, but the traverse from Tank to Chetwoot is something else entirely. Navigation skills and GPS definitely recommended for this section, and expect slow going - it's a combination of bushwhack, low-class scramble, and boulder traverse with limited/no cairns to follow.  (Note that we took the low route, clockwise from Tank to Chetwoot via Iron Cap Lake.  High route may be very different.)

The lakes were all stunning, and seemed to have abundant campsites, though I've been here before on weekends and it seems to fill up quickly. Either fork of the Foss would be an amazing destination for a weekday overnight!

I visited the WTA trail crew staying at 5-Mile Camp on Friday.  They are wrapping up their week on the trail up to Jade Lake and beyond.  The good news is that the saw teams have removed most of the larger trees crossing the trail from 4 miles from the trailhead up beyond Jade Lake.  Since this is in a wilderness area, it was all sweat and hard work with crosscut saws, wedges, and axes.   Consider joining a WTA work party in the future.   No experience necessary.   

The roads are in good condition on the way into the trailhead.  You start with paved road the first couple miles.  The second section is a county gravel road with minor washboard bumps along the way.  At about 35mph, the vibration is like a good massage chair.  The last few miles are on much narrower forest roads (after going under train trestle).   Watch out for potholes.   There are a few larger ones along the way.    All vehicles should be ok.    About 10 cars in the lot at 10:00am and completely full when I returned at 3:00 pm.   

The trail is in great shape up to 5-mile camp.   There are a couple of easy step over trees on the ground, but the saw crews may remove more on their way out on Saturday.    I actually found some early huckleberries off the trail on my way back.   Keep looking as more should be in soon.  A real treat if you are camping.  

TL;DR - WARNING! Reports of this being a high-theft trailhead are accurate. Came back to a smashed window - even though I had left the glove box open and center armrest to prove there was nothing to take. They got nothing - I got a pain in the neck.

3-day, 2-night loop from Necklace Valley TH to West Fork Foss TH. Trail portions magnificently well maintained with hard labor from WTA trail crews!

Route finding skills, tools, and experience highly recommended for anyone wanting to explore the area between Tank Lakes and Chetwoot Lake. Minimal snow patches remain, but still some snow to negotiate. Ice ax and/or traction not needed, but best to try and avoid the higher angle snow slopes.

Camped one night at Tank, the second night at Chetwoot. Took the low route traverse by Iron Cap Lake; with an afternoon jaunt from camp up to Iron Cap Mtn ridgeline for extra views.

Bugs are horrendous. Aside from one 2-hr reprieve midday for a swim and lounge at Chetwoot, it was a constant battle. Would I do it again? Yeah - clearly I have brain damage from all the mosquito bites .

Big thanks to kind Nick who gave us a ride from West to East TH, saving us an extra 2 mile hike! You’re an angel.

Went up for a one-nighter to Tank Lakes via Necklace Valley.  Left the trailhead at noon.  Passed the WTA Backcountry crew, and thanked them for being there on the trail, putting in the hard work.  Reached East Fork crossing, roughly 4.5 miles, at 1:45.  The trail was easy, except for a few very brushy areas with stinging nettles.  The climb up to Jade Lake has 3 trees blown over the trail, two of them are along the trail itself, and so you just walk along the downed log.  But, I hope the WTA Crew will have it all cleared up by tomorrow.  

Quick swim at Jade Lake, but the few mosquitos didn't let me linger.  Little did I know how many of them awaited me up top.  The trail up to Tank Lake is not too hard to find, just look for the cairns marking the way.   I think the trail heads uphill before hitting Opal Lake, since I don't recall seeing it.  Reached Tank Lake at 5:30, covering roughly 10.5 miles?  

Other than the trail crew which camped at the East Fork crossing, and the lone hiker coming out from Tank, there were only two other parties heading up that I saw.  Both were couples with a dog, and I saw one of them arrive at Tank shortly after me.  Plenty of space to spread out, and lots of good campsites.  The only serious issue were the mosquitos.  They were relentless.  After setting up camp, I walked up to a higher point in search of a breeze to give me some relief.  That helped a little.  After dinner and sunset, I happily dove into my tent around 9:30.

I was hoping the next morning, that the slight chill would give me some time before the bugs reappeared, but no, when I woke at 5, they were already on my tent.  So, despite the perfect views, I packed up and was on trail by 6.  Hiking out was smooth, and I reached the trailhead at 10:35.

Just want to mention once again how grateful I am to WTA for their trail crews.  Watching 7 of them hiking up the Jade Lake trail this morning carrying all the saws, axes, and pulaskis to take care of those blowdowns reminded me of the hard work that volunteers give for all of our benefit.