Creek has washed out a bit of the road on the drive in so high clearance recommended. Nice and easy summer hike. Saw a lot of wildlife (elk, snake, salamanders and frogs). Lots of wildflowers in bloom as well.

TL;DR: Creek crossing on FS Road 4330 - not all vehicles could pass (picture) Snow fields from Squaw Lake to Cathedral Rock - water running beneath the snow, unsure footing (picture) Downed trees across trail - pass easy with care (picture) Trail creek crossings - pass easy with care Trekking poles and boots were helpful If its sunny out, take sunscreen, the snow reflection will get ya The full story: Drove out of Seattle Friday after work and made it to a camp site near Fish Lake on FS road 4330 (the road that Cathedral Rock trail head is on) around 8pm. The road has a creek without a bridge you must ford that might be difficult in vehicles without much clearance (see picture). The rest of the road was not much of an issue. It had lots of potholes/ruts as most dirt roads, but with a little care most any vehicle could make the drive. Make sure to slow down through the private property areas. I hit the Cathedral Rock trail, #1345, at 8:15am the following morning. The trail switchbacks through the trees for a little over two miles to Squaw Lake. This portion of the trail had many trees down across the trail that required you to duck, hop over, or go off-trail around them. There was also intermittent snow and a lot of melt water running down the trail due to the mid 80's weather. There was also a stream or two that required crossing, you can find easier routes over if you walk up or down them a ways. Roughly a half-mile before you reach Squaw Lake, Trail Creek Trail # 1322 breaks off to your left and heads down to trail #1310 and Waptus Lake. Squaw Lake itself was mostly absent of ice and a nice stop for a quick snack. From Squaw Lake, I tried my best to follow the trail around to the north west side of the lake, where my map showed the trail heading up towards Cathedral Rock. I couldn't really locate where the trail diverged from the Lake and ended up just following a boot path in the snow hoping those before me knew the way. The snow is patchy at this point so I soon lost the boot path and just hacked my way through the woods in the general direction of Cathedral Rock. I ended up heading straight up a fairly steep pitch for a short while unintentionally, where I came upon a burned down tent on a small rock ledge... odd. Its worth noting that as you are heading north west from Squaw Lake, there is a steep wall that gets cliffy on your left and a similar drop-off on your right (that leads down to the Cle Elum River), with a large relatively flat portion between them. Thus, if you just stick in the region that its relatively flat, you will head in the correct direction towards Cathedral Rock. The relatively flat region was snow covered and you won't see much dry ground for the rest of your trip up to Cathedral Rock. Be careful through this portion, the snow is melting and there is a lot of water running beneath the snow fields (see pictures). You could easily punch through into whatever lies beneath. Many of the boot tracks I saw were walking down the middle of open areas where it was obvious the melt water was running directly beneath, yikes. I stayed closer to tree lines where I could see patches of ground and gauge the snow depth while listening for areas where the water was running. After a couple miles on snow, I could see Cathedral Rock and basically just headed straight for it. Without the snow, I believe the trail would continue and link to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT #2000) before turning left and passing by Cathedral Rock. I hiked to the base of Cathedral Rock, ate lunch, and saw who had left the boot prints for me; another solo hiker with a split board looking to get a few turns. We exchanged pleasantries and he noted that he had been watching snow break loose on the peaks across Deep Lake and that it might be a little unsafe with how warm it had gotten and all the movement. He headed on to Peggy's Pond while I decided to call it a day, get back over the snow fields before conditions got wetter and make the drive back to Seattle. By this time it was almost noon. Even after a mere 30 mins at the base of Cathedral Rock, I struggled to find my boot path as the sun had melted, and camouflaged, my tracks into all the other snow dimples. I picked my way back over the snow fields and knew if I stayed on the shelf I would end up back at Squaw Lake where I could pick the trail back up. I cliffed myself out by being a little too high on the ridge that lies behind Squaw Lake but was able to back track and get down to the lake easily enough. Depending on how much snow is melting and where you think the trail is, you might find yourself crossing substantial streams running down to Squaw Lake. After Squaw Lake, I quickly descended back to the trail head and on my way passed a group of four skiers, one rock climber, and a couple hiking groups all on their way up. It was around 2:15pm when I got back to the car. After a short break at the car, I was zipping back to Seattle and destined to sit on the 520 for too long due to i90's construction. All-in-all, it was a great outing with just enough questionability to make for a tiny adventure.

Went to the Hyas Lake trailhead on May 28th. Road getting in is in good condition. Only trouble is about 2-3 miles from the trailhead, there is a stream crossing over the road. Some low clearance vehicles made it over, but many stopped there. Would recommend high clearance for the time being as its deep in spots. No snow for the first 3/4 of the trail to Hyas. Once snow begins, its continuous. Not a very defined set of footprints through the snow, but if you just keep walking in the same direction towards the lake, you will eventually see Hyas. Snow is about a foot deep but compacted and easy to walk on. Very cloudy day with rain. Saw people camping along the lake even though plenty of snow still on the ground. Lake was clear. On May 29th we had hopes of getting up to Cathedral rock. Initial part of the trail, at the base before you hit switchbacks, is covered in snow still. Couldn't find a defined footpath on the snow to the trail, but head up the mountain and you are bound to run into the switchback quickly. No snow along the switchbacks until right at the top, close the trail junction. There is a defined boot path in the snow that is easy to follow to Squaw (not sure about the other trail to Waptus). Squaw is still in the process of unthawing from the winter, but is starting to clear up around the edges. We decided to stop the hike here and enjoy the lake. Climbed up the rocks on the opposite side of the lake to take this picture. Left at about 3:30 and had no trouble finding the path in the snow and getting back down. Enjoy!

We took Friday off for a 2-night trip to Deep Lake. The road in was better than I expected - a little washboarded and potholed, especially at first, but generally not bad for a Forest Service Road. Even with a Friday start, the smallish parking lot for the Cathedral Pass trail was full, but we easily fit into the shadier overflow across the road. Not sure how full the northerly lot was for the Cle Elum river trail. The first 2ish miles, to Squaw Lake, are in good shape with no major issues. The tread is a bit rocky, and it gets moderately steep at times, enough to make us feel the weight of our full packs. Similar story for the next mile and a half or so after Squaw, then it flattens out as you approach Cathedral Pass. There were a few tarns up here but they were pretty muddy looking. So besides the river crossing right off the bat, no appealing water sources other than Squaw until you hit Deep Lake. Some nice dark red coloring on the ground cover, but sadly, no berries to be had anywhere. The path down from the pass to Deep Lake is very easy - good tread and gentle grades throughout. We were eager to get done on the way down, but the slope was kind of nice on the way back up. We did not take the extra 1.5m round trip to see Peggy's Pond, but there were some great views of Mt. Daniel and Deep Lake below from the main trail. We hit Deep Lake at about 4:00 on Friday. Immediately went right to check out the east side of the lake. There is really only one viable campsite on this side, but it's a great one, and there's room for a couple tents if you have a large party. One downside, though: this site is far from the toilet and the hills above are literally littered with the remains of poorly-executed catholes. Yuck. Lots more sites on the west side and in the meadows to the south, too. The lake was pretty quiet on Friday but unsurprisingly filled up more on Saturday. We had clear but cool weather on Friday, which turned into an unexpectedly cold night. Saw frost in the early morning! Saturday and Sunday were warmer but smokey, with shifting winds blowing in smoke from the many wildfires out there. On Saturday I took a very quick swim in the lake, which was pretty cold but nice to clean off. Would make good wading on a hot day. On Saturday we took a day trip to Lake Vicente. Did not know much about this, other than that the hiking book said "2.3 miles, 1000 ft elevation gain." It ended up more like 1300 feet, but more importantly, about half of this is concentrated on some absurdly steep climbs toward the end. One of the steepest trails I can remember! Also overgrown in places, and with quite a few blowdowns and route-finding through dry creek beds. But it was worth the climb - the lake is quite striking. If you're looking for an easier experience, Deer Lake (on the way) is another nice spot, and would make a great horse camp. Bugs: the two of us only ended up with one bite. Never saw much in the way of mosquitoes - a welcome change from most camping trips this summer. There were a fair number of bees around our camp, but they minded their own business. Other wildlife: we saw two groups of mountain goats from the trail to Vicente. Some assertive chipmunks and deer visited our campsite looking for food (sorry guys- no can do). We saw some bear scat on the Vicente trail, and some other hikers apparently spotted a bear maybe a mile up from the Tucquala trailhead. Final note: Glad to see no one was attempting a campfire! Also, please remember not to camp right on the lakeshore.

This was a very enjoyable hike after enduring the 12 mile gravel road from Salmon Le Sac, but very worth the effort. Looking at the previous post the mistake made was not staying right at the two mile mark. First two miles are a constant grade of moderate steepness providing a good workout. This hike can be extended for a lot of other options too. Fair amount of hikers encountered but not bad at all for a Saturday and good weather.