I did some car camping near Mission Ridge and in the morning, ventured up to the end to the road as I had not been here before. Spying a trailhead near the parking lot gate, I realized I was at Clara and Marion Lakes. I knew the trail was short and I had a map, so off I went.
I knew this is better known as a larch hike but the wildflowers were just right! The trillium and glacier lilies were everywhere! There were even a few balsam root.
Patches of snow on the trail started at about 5,200 feet and continued off and on until Clara Lake but were not an issue. I arrived at the outlet for Clara and could hear a family camping in the trees on the right.
I knew that Marion carried around to the left so I walked up and around the lake then turned left and up away from the lake. Snow mostly obscured the trail at first but then was spotty.
Just before Marion there were two trees across the trail, one was easy to step over but limbs on the second was causing most to walk around on neighboring blueberry.
Marion Lake presented itself at 5,520 feet and 1.5 miles up from the trailhead. I walked past the spur down to the "island" and around where there was a view of what I think was Mission Peak. Snow still lingered on the slope and I was surprised by all the slate and piles of volcanic rock. I had the lake to myself for awhile.
I scrambled around a bit past Marion until I heard the voices (hoops and hollers) of a group crossing over to the island and then I began my trip down. Somehow leaving Marion I ended up on another trail that turned and followed more closely to the creek leaving Marion. It was an actual path but was overgrown in spots, I could I was going to intersect the main trail eventually so I did not turn around. It brought me out just down from the stream crossing before Clara on an unmarked junction. It was about 3.2 miles round trip and a little over 2 hours.
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