Chatter Creek, Lake Edna, Icicle Creek, Frosty - Wildhorse Creek, Ladies Pass, Jack Pine Trail & Icicle Gorge Nature Loop — Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024

Hiked the loop counter-clockwise from Chatter Creek Trailhead to Lake Edna, Ladies Pass, and Upper Florence Lake, down to Lake Mary, Frosty Pass, Lake Margaret, and out to Icicle Creek Trailhead, completing the loop via Jackpine Trail and Icicle Gorge Nature Trail.

The first day was a tough one! Over 5000 feet of net elevation gain from the Chatter Creek Trailhead to our first night destination at Upper Florence Lake. It took us all day (8:45am - 4pm) to go the 7.7 miles to the lake, with many breaks and stops to enjoy the scenery. The majority of Chatter Creek Trail is exposed and could be very hot. Thankfully we hiked after a rainstorm had passed through the night before, so it was mild and pleasant weather. We only saw two other parties, one backpacker coming down and a pair of day hikers at Lake Edna, until we reached Ladies Pass (mile 6.6) where we met a group of backpackers/climbers who were doing the same loop as us in reverse. The section of larches in a small basin prior to Lake Edna were especially nice and would be gorgeous in fall.

Upper Florence Lake was the gem of the day for sure, and the view looking down at it before our final descent was lovely. We camped at the lake and saw no one else for the duration of our stay there, aside from the pikas, marmots, various raptors, and plentiful songbirds foraging around the lakeshore.

The next day we left Florence around 8:30 and our first views were from Marys Pass, with visibility all the way to the Olympics and views of three volcanoes including Rainier, Baker, and Glacier Peak. Descending into the valley below was the prettiest part of the hike. We even saw a golden eagle soaring overhead on the hunt for marmots and pikas. The trail on this side of the Chiwaukums is less rough and we were able to travel farther in the same amount of time, with time for lunch at Lake Margaret. Didn't see a single other person all the way from Florence until we passed a couple of backpackers heading up the hot, brushy section below Margaret. It should be noted that though unpleasant, the brushy section isn't super long. I wouldn't recommend going up through it on a sunny day past noon, though!

With the temps increasing we were glad to have increasing canopy cover as we descended from Frosty Pass on the Wildhorse Trail toward Icicle Creek. There were several opportunities to filter water from various stream crossings. (Water was not as issue for most of this hike; not many long stretches without at least a small seep somewhere). We decided to hike all the way to the established camp at the Icicle/French Creek confluence. Our campsite had a lovely view of the river and small waterfall. We didn't see a single other camper during our stay here, either. This was the only spot with bugs worth mentioning—a cloud of no-see-ums showed up around dinnertime.

To complete the loop, on our third day we hiked down the lovely flat Icicle Creek trail to the trailhead, where we walked the road for a short distance to the Jackpine Trail (look for an unmarked trailhead/parking area just past the Icicle Creek Trailhead). This trail parallels the road but is pleasant and quiet, with some views of the ridges in the Chiwaukums. It eventually ends at another trailhead with a bathroom, where we walked another short (few hundred yards) section of road to where the Icicle Gorge Nature Trail picks up (across from Rock Creek Campground). We walked the south side of the loop all the way until the big bridge across Icicle Gorge. Another very short road walk was required to return to our car at the Chatter Creek Trailhead.

Considering the hoards who were certainly at the Enchantments during this stretch of nice weather pre-Labor Day weekend, I felt pretty lucky to have the majority of this hike to ourselves. Not a single other tent was seen the entire trip!