Lake Ingalls, Longs Pass — Saturday, Sep. 25, 2021

Absolutely gorgeous day for a end-of-summer/beginning-of-fall hike. We left Seattle at 6:30a and made it to the trailhead at 8:30a. Parking lot was already full; we parked about a quarter mile down the road from the TH. Trail to Ingalls is a steady grade and very well-maintained. It's often wide enough for two people to walk side by side. We enjoyed glorious views of Rainier and Adams on our way up. 

The larches are just turning - I'd guess in about 1-2 weeks they'll be at their peak. But they were still stunning and made the long drive worth it. The last half mile or so to the lake is a bit tricky to navigate - follow the cairns. You will likely have to do some mild rock scrambling to get up there. The lake is absolutely gorgeous with Mt. Stuart in the backdrop. There's plenty of space to have lunch/snack/rest right where the trail meets the lake, but I recommend going around the lake to the opposite side (where you meet up with the trail to Longs Pass). Rock scrambling required to get around. 

Lovely fall colors everywhere, and we even saw a marmot sunbathing on a rock! We decided to make our trip a loop and continued 2 mi down to Ingalls Creek. Still plenty of water to refill if you need to. The trail was a bit tricky to follow at times since the Longs Pass trail is less popular, but keep your eyes out for cairns or use a phone GPS tracker and you'll be fine. Then, it's a brutal 1200 ft climb in about 1 mile. If it's a sunny day, bring sunscreen - most of the climb is in direct sun and very exposed. 

Views are, again, amazing from Longs Pass. The trail down is a gentle grade and, once you're back on the main trail, even gentler. We made it back to the TH at 5p. Totals for the day came to 13.5 miles, 4,000 ft elevation, and 7.5 hours on trail.