Royal Basin via Royal Lake — Tuesday, Jun. 1, 2021

Update! The trail to Royal Basin/Lake is still impassible, as the snow is a deep slush (roughly 5-7 feet at 4,500 feet elevation) that creates shin-deep pockets of water on the trail, feeding into the Royal creek drainage. The road to the trailhead is passable by all vehicles until roughly the last 2 or 3 miles, then the potholes become the size of craters, and I was bottoming out with a high clearance 4x4 in spots that you couldn’t avoid, so be extra cautious if attempting. The trail itself is snow free up until the noted 4,500 feet, with a steady incline up to where we turned around, with the last push of major elevation being close to the basin. All in all, if you’re willing and able to get to the trailhead there’s still some fantastic views of Mount Clark & the surrounding snow capped peaks, as well as lush old growth Forest walks/vistas, views of Royal creek & Dungeness River, cascading creek drainages, and waterfalls. You may not make it to the lake or basin just yet, but the views aren’t lacking!