Hadn't seen many reports for 2016 yet this year, but HAD to have some alpine. Good friend, my very capable dog and I set out on a drizzly day to get some views. Did the loop clockwise and encountered a mountaineers group heading back down as it was just too socked in to summit. We pressed on and hit the PCT after crossing one sketchy snow patch that was doable with care even without gear. Still socked in and appearing to go higher to encounter more snow, we continued to little blue lake while crossing many easy snowfields. We took the low route and added the 4 miles as the high route was a bit hard to navigate (per another couple). We camped in the most awesome camp spot by Little Blue Lake-totally flat and the sound of a waterfall to fall asleep by. Woke up to sun and the excitement to see all of the amazing views we missed out on yesterday as we still had 10ish miles to go. And we were TREATED to the alpine views that no backpacker should miss. They continue on for MILES! Trail stays above 5000 feet until you hit the steep down into the woods and down to the river where you cross a well placed log to the 1.9 mark to home... A MUST DO on a clear day again this year. We did a 20/10 split but there are awesome camp spots at White Pass, Dishpan Gap, Blue Lake (beyond awesome) and even about 6 miles from the end at the start of the decent. Right on the view's edge. No bugs except at camp by the Lake because of the weather, not cold, just snowy, trail only had a few easy blowdowns at the end and is in great shape. Wouldn't trade this weekend for anything. This route is not to be missed.

A really excellent trip - rugged, beautiful views (when the weather cooperated), a virtually ideal 3 day outing. The route description given is really spot-on, right down to the mileages - very helpful and informative. Regardless of which direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) you do the trip, you're looking at a pretty darn steep ascent, a solid middle section following ridge lines without dramatic changes in elevation, followed by a pretty darn steep descent back down to the North Fork Sauk River. I went with the clockwise orientation described, and enjoyed some gorgeous weather and spectacular views on Day 1, making camp at White Pass. Day 2 woke up to serious clouds and light rain, and began what would be a long (and unexpectedly collaborative) day of pathfinding. I was expecting to just cruise along an easy-to-follow stretch of the PCT, but there were very regular stretches of significant snow coverage, and much of the snow was kind of melted/dirty/pock-marked, often obscuring other hikers' footsteps. I did most of the snow hiking just in my boots, though occasionally made use of my microspikes (in a couple spots, I *might* have felt a little more comfortable with an ice axe in hand, but mostly felt totally fine without). I did this trip on July 4th weekend, and while I was initially a little bummed that there were so many other folks around, ultimately I was glad to trade a little solitude for a larger group to help navigate! At numerous points throughout the day, I spent time with anywhere from one to about a dozen other hikers, collectively trying to reckon where the trail went. Given the snow situation, I elected to take the "low route" to Blue Lake, along with about ten others. We ended up all working together for an hour or more to follow probably a mile or so section of trail, which was almost totally covered by significant snowpack in a steep gully leading down to Lower Blue Lake. (There were more than a few jokes wondering aloud about how gnarly the "high route" must have been given what we were experiencing on the supposedly easy route) We did ultimately make it down, and I enjoyed a spectacular (and remarkably bug-free) campsite by the Lower Blue Lake. Day 3 was overcast start to finish, with generally easier navigation than Day 2, although at the start of the day, still some slightly tricky pathfinding. There were a few patches of beautiful wildflowers, and I trust that in clearer weather this day would have continued the theme of gorgeousness. Taken all together, I probably would have done the trip if I'd been alone - but between taking extra care on the snow and less efficient solo pathfinding, I might have made camp in the dark on Night 2. With these snow conditions, definitely a somewhat more technically and navigationally advanced backpacking trip, but that much more fun for the challenge! And truly spectacular views, weather-permitting. Strongly recommended.

Did the route clockwise with my dog and camped at white pass and blue lake. Most of the pct section of the trail is covered in snow but otherwise in good condition. There are lots of bootprints to follow, definitely glad I had a map and gps though. I took the high route to blue lakes which was great on the way up but got slightly heinous on the way down. The entire trail is covered in snow on the north side and I had to do some super steep downclimbing and route finding. I would definitely recommend going the long way around for the next few weeks. Blue lake is gorgeous, half the campsites are flooded or snow covered though. Pilot ridge isn't as well maintained as the rest of the loop, it's a bit overgrown and there are quite a few blowdowns, they were only minor inconveniences though. The first few miles of pilot ridge have quite a bit of snow and I had some trouble finding the junction between Johnson mountain and the trail down, I would have really struggled to find it without my gps. The wild flowers are just starting to bloom, in a few weeks its gonna look like narnia up there.

We've been eyeing this loop for a while, but needed a long weekend to cover all the mileage, 4th of July was the perfect opportunity. Starting out Saturday morning we were surprised at how full the parking lot was, but were quickly on our own as we split off at Pilot Ridge Junction to cross the river to head up to Pilot Ridge for the first day rather than the regular loop direction up to White Pass. Totally understand why people usually go the other direction first, the ascent up from the river is STEEP. Views from the top of the ridge were well worth it though. Passed a few downed trees along the way, but nothing impassable. Wildflowers were just starting to bloom along the ridge, as most of the snowfields had melted out. Began wishing we had brought ice axes as we neared Blue Lake and the snowfields became larger and steeper. When we made it to the ridge above Blue Lake we got our first glimpse of the trail for the second day, and realized the notch was totally covered in steep snow, not a good idea without traction and an ice axe... Camping around Blue Lake was gorgeous, great views of Monte Cristo and surrounding peaks, and lots of little streams for water. The next morning was totally socked in, so we opted to head back instead of tacking on the extra 4 miles for the Bald Eagle trail up to White Pass.