Had an amazing time with some friends overnighting at Snowy Lakes. Highly recommend for a fun overnight with not too much elevation gain and stunning panoramic views.
When we arrived at 9:30am, the Rainy Pass Picnic area didn't have many spots but the Cutthroad Pass trailhead lot had more spots (plus people were parking on the side of the road). The trail was exposed for a good portion of the hike, so sunscreen and a hat are a must. We went through about 4L of water per day. The trail conditions were good, just a few areas with some flat scree. We missed the turnoff to Snowy Lakes the first time, so if you're headed up that way, look for a campsite to the left of the PCT and a boulder to the right.
There are streams along the way to fill up, but there is a stretch of trail with no streams or only small ones. Here's the ones we hit in terms of miles from the trailhead:
1.3 (big), 2.3 (big), 3.3 (big), 3.9 (small), 4.3 (small), 5 (small), 10.8 (medium), then Snowy Lakes
Lower Snowy Lake was more serene with fewer campers but shallower water, while Upper Snowy Lake was better for swimming but had more people staying there. There were enough campsites for everyone who made it up to the lakes for the overnight.
Were there more bugs that most PNW hikes? Yes. Were they as bad as they get in New Hampshire during the summer? No, they were not dive bombing us. They showed up around 7pm when the temperature started to drop. Saturday night wasn't too cold, though it probably depends on the day.
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