Ran a big 'ole loop up the Iron Goat to Stevens, South on the PCT to Surprise/Glacier, and then back out via Surprise Creek, with a couple of side quests thrown in.

Got stung by a bee half a mile into the climb up to the IG upper grade, right out of the parking lot, but I didn't see a nest... bee might just have been out for an alpine start!

PCT is in great condition! All the creeks flowing and lots of backpackers out. I would guess it is buggy by the lakes normally, but I got lucky with cooler weather and a strong breeze all day, which kept the bugs at bay. Lots of wildflowers out in the slopes below Trap Pass.

TML off-trail section is almost entirely melted-out; there are a few patches of shallow snow amid the rocks, but all are easily avoided.

Attempted Spark Plug from the top of Piper's Pass, but it was quite a bushwhack and I only made it half a mile or so before turning back. There is a bootpath here, but it's very faint and requires a lot of climbing over trees to follow.

Surprise Creek trail is pretty overgrown, some of the sections crossing avy chutes below the lake are akin to swimming through brush at this time of year. Otherwise good condition with the occasional blowdown.

This is a super-neat area, but as my friend is fond of saying, there really aren't any bad stretches on the PCT in Washington!

TLDR

Snoqualmie to Stevens pass July 17-20. 

1. Trail is in great shape, no snow at all. 
2. Left car at Stevens pass July 16-20 with no issue. 
3. Berries are ripe or very close to ripe for most of the trail. 
4. Camped at Spectacle Lake, Waptus Lake, Deception Lakes - no trouble getting campsites any day, PCT bubble has not yet arrived. 
5. Mosquito activity is low / medium (this may be compared to early July Oregon though, so take it with a grain of salt)

Details

We left the car at Stevens pass trailhead on Wednesday morning to make for an easy thru hike return - totally safe to do this (make sure you park between the PCT signs). Then started the hike on Thursday morning. 

Trail conditions are incredible the whole way, no snow on trail, and very few blowdowns. 

Day 1 - Camped the first night at Spectacle Lake, which is a short detour from the main PCT, but was well worth it. The northern trail out of spectacle back to the PCT was NOT in great shape, but was navigable. 

Day 2  - Camped at Waptus, there are several sites down the river trail near the lake. There is an exposed privy (no door / structure - but a box to poop on) - better than a kick in the teeth. 

Day 3 - Deception Lakes - lovely spots between the two lakes. 

Day 4 - I took the Surprise Mountain Trail to Surprise Gap, which I highly recommend, highlight of the section for me. 

TLDR but want trail conditions and a bug report: The trail from Stevens Pass to Chain and Doelle lakes is in pretty good shape. There's about a handful of trees down, mostly from the junction of Upper Icicle to Chain Lakes, but nothing too difficult to pass. The largest tree down is actually steps from the Stevens Pass parking lot and you can easily pass under it. Only a few snow patches left and they were melting quickly. Nothing to write home about. Bugs were out in force at Chain and Doelle lakes, as well as Josephine. Fortunately a fairly steady breeze kept the bugs at bay at times. Josephine had those annoying red gnats/flies? that like to fly into your eyes and ears, as well as mosquitoes. Nothing unexpected for early July and I've been in worse bug situations...

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The trail from Stevens to Josephine lake climbs up to the ridge from the trailhead -- it's interesting to see the ski area when not under a blanket of snow. There's some wildflowers out that dot the trail from Stevens to the lakes. Lots of water as well. I carried more water than I needed on the way in and reduced it on the way out.

After Josephine the trail is a bit brushy as it goes along Icicle Creek. More creek bottom flowers to dot your way. The various creek crossings were all negotiable with rock hopping.

At the Chain Lakes junction we turned up hill for a 2,000 foot ascent in two miles. If you head to Chain Lakes in one day you might swear a bit knowing this ascent is at the very end of your almost 10 mile day.

We took our time and eventually made it to the first Chain Lake. We continued on to the second Chain Lake and found a lovely campsite at the head of the lake. 

On day two we explored the Doelle lakes basin. The trail from Chain Lakes to Doelle was in pretty good shape. There's a couple of snow patches at the top of the ridge between the lakes but they are melting quickly and we were able to skirt around them on solid ground.

Day three had us returning the way we came. To shorten our last day, we were either going to stop at Josephine for the night or hike to Mig Lake off the PCT. We decided to stay at Josephine as there was a steady breeze keeping the bugs down for most of the afternoon. Got in a "swim" (most would call it a dunk) which felt great after a few days out.

Toilet talk: there are toilets at Josephine, the second Chain lake and the first Doelle lake. I did not come across a single TP flower at any of the lakes. Toilets are difficult to build and maintain -- props to the Eagle Scout who installed the toilet (per the sign mounted on the toilet) for Chain lake and of course the hardworking Forest Service wilderness rangers and trail volunteers who take care of the rest!

Hiked PCT J section 07/03-0708. Started from I-90.

-overgrown section that included some bushwhacking back to the trail before the ascent up to Kendall katwalk
-snow fields started just right before Kendall katwalk but Kendall Katwalk was free of snow.
-Ridge lake was beautiful and had no mosquitos but snowy at our campsite
-snowfields from Ridge Lake to Spectacle lake posed some risk but very manageable with crampons and poles. No snowfields after spectacle lake
-Spectacle lake had no mosquitoes and was lovely
-mosquitos intermittent from spectacle lake to waptus lake, and no mosquitos camping at waptus lake
-2 miles south from deep lake, like a light switch mosquitos were terrible.
-Peggy’s pond and all campsites near cathedral pass were unbearable with the amount of mosquitos.
-deception lakes, horrible with mosquitos. At this point we diverted our route off PCT to deception creek trail and got to highway 2 from that trail. Hitch hiked the couple mile to Steven’s from there. Chatting with most hikers coming from Steven’s said mosquitos were terrible a few miles from the pass onward.

We hiked Stevens to Snoqualmie along section J 06/22/25-06/27/25

Pros:

●Snow melt means plenty of water sources, never went far without crossing a viable source to filter from.

●Not a lot of other hikers on the trail, sometimes days before we saw other humans.

●Pictures and stories don't do this trail justice. it is some of the wildest, most beautiful terrain you will ever see anywhere.

Hazards:

●Trail is often snow-covered, especially at higher altitudes and passes. Many snowfields that need to be traversed are steep, and falls would likely be fatal. Gear and expertise required.

●Bugs are out in full force. Expect and accept that you will get bit a lot.

●Camping areas are often snow-covered as well, limiting your options. I would recommend that you have a plan B and don't get to camp too late.

●Some stream crossings require fording. The water was never deeper than a few feet, but was fast moving, and the rocks were slippery. Strongly recommend bringing sandals to wear during crossing.

●Trail is often overgrown or snow-covered. Map and route finding abilities required.

Summary: Incredibly beautiful and wild, but it's still early in the season. I would recommend giving this trail another month for the snow to melt. IF you decide to decide to go earlier, please please please be equipped and prepared to cross dangerous snow fields.

Four experienced hikers set out.

Three took falls in dangerous areas.

Two took potentially fatal falls and were lucky to walk away from them.

One, a solo hiker that left Stevens at the same time as my group, exited the PCT via a separate trail system after the injuries from the fall he took forced him to.