What a gorgeous area with plenty of destinations to choose from!
We arrived to the trailhead at 10:30 on Saturday morning and the lot was nearly full. The road has enormous pot holes, but they're mostly avoidable with some careful steering at a low speed. We were in a higher clearance SUV but we did see a few lower clearance vehicles at the trailhead.
The trail to Trout Lake was pretty gradual and well maintained. As you approach there is a sign that has the campsite locations marked, many of which were already occupied. There were numerous people playing and floating about in the lake.
Continuing on from Trout Lake there is a good bit of elevation gain - when you see the waterfall know that your destination is just above that. Much of this section of trail is fairly exposed so be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and a sunhat/sunshirt. It is also much more rocky and rooty, a bit brushy at times, and there are two fallen trees to go under. Some water on the trail. The stream crossing at the outlet of Copper Lake has exposed, dry rocks to hop across.
Copper lake is an absolute stunner and worth the climb. It is also a VERY popular backpacking spot - most of the camping spots were occupied upon our arrival. We spoke to a few people here and there who had either arrived Friday or camped at Trout Lake Friday and hiked up first thing Saturday morning in order to get a spot. Many of the camping spots are very small and only suitable for one, maybe two tents. Hammock camping would be an excellent option for this destination. Unfortunately we needed a spot for three tents for our group of 5 humans and a dog, so we decided to keep hiking rather than split up.
The trail follows the lakeshore and it's hard to peel your eyes away from the scenery to look at the trail and keep from stumbling. Eventually you break away from the lake, following the stream up to Little Heart lake. There was a small bit of snow to cross and a little mud here and there. There were a couple small campsites at Little Heart Lake, which we could have made work for our group (the larger, more scenic ones were taken). We kept going to Big Heart which we heard was more scenic and less crowded. We ran into many day hikers on their way back from big Heart Lake who were camping at Copper Lake.
The trail from Little to Big Heart Lake climbs up a few hundred feet before descending down to the lake, but the climbs pays off with some excellent views. There is a great view looking back down to Trout Lake (look how far you've come!) with Glacier Peak/Dakobed in the distance. You'll also catch a glimpse of Otter Lake (I think. Maybe it was Angeline). There are several patches of snow to cross - be carful of where you step as post-holing into a 3 ft drop is a possibility. As you approach Big Heart Lake there is kind of a wide open area which we considered setting up in but then realized the trail went right through it. We were able to tuck our three tents into 3 small spots stepped behind the rocks here. Other hikers told us there were more campsites to be found across the log jam. The toilet on the approach to Big Heart Lake appears to be still under a few feet of snow. We also found a small fire ring has been set up where we camped - come on people, not only are campfires not allowed here but there is a burn ban in effect because the whole state is a tinder box!
Other than the fire ring and a few giant nails/bolts in a nearby tree, recent users of the trail seem to be practicing Leave No Trace which was refreshing to see.
Overall, a great trail, gorgeous lakes, and lovely mountain views!
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