Two of us backpacked the Lily Basin Trail staying at the first site with water access at 5.1 miles. No water prior to this point. The trail is in great shape.
The big "if" is if your vehicle can get over the very deep washout on the road to the TH. It took our Subaru many attempts before finally getting up and over the large angled steep slice in the road. A prior trip report has a good picture. When we came out Saturday, all vehicles at the TH were 4x4s.
The campsite at 5.1 miles is a horse site but because of the road no trailers have made it up this year - the camp had lots of old horse dung. We also did a bit of cleaning due to messy prior campers.
Our goal for the next day was Hawkeye Point. We walked across one snow bridge that was 2' thick so no worries but it is melting fast in the heat. Then we did a bit of trail finding on snow fields and snow bridges up to the cut off to the Point. I used micro spikes in the morning but boot kicked in the afternoon. Poles are recommended.
Between the 5.1 mile campsite and the Hawkeye Point cut off there is Heart Lake with a large single campsite. Very buggy but beautiful. The cutoff to the lake is unmarked and before you see the lake. No rivers run into the lake but several are nearby. The next campsites are located on high overlooks with no water access other than snow fields.
There is a steep snow patch on the Hawkeye Point trail. You can glissade down or head to the left and angle kick the less steep section and walk up the snow on the other side. Then its dirt the rest of the way up. Extraordinary views of Rainier, Adams, Snowgrass Flats, Goat Lake, and Jordan Basin. We were fortunate in that we noticed a way down the Hawkeye Point snow field to our trail and did not have to go all the way back to the cutoff and across the steeply angled fields. We walked over several creeks under the snow fields and did a lot of probing with poles. Post holed once so be careful.
LOTS of bugs so bring bug clothes.
Comments