Necklace Valley & Tank Lakes, August 29-31, 2024
I finally made it back to Necklace Valley with a two night stay at Tank Lakes. I haven’t been in this area for 7 or 8 years and have only visited Tank Lakes on a day trip and have been wanting to stay overnight here ever since. It certainly did not disappoint. Since Labor Day weekend was arriving (a warm and sunny one at that), I wanted to get an early start so started my trip on Thursday to beat most of the crowd. Well, that was definitely a wise decision, more on that later.
The Particulars:
Arrived at the Necklace Valley Trailhead at 9:30am on Thursday, August 29th. The road to the TH is in good shape, only a few potholes here and there. There were 15 cars in the lot with about 5 open spots when I arrived. The privy at the TH was well stocked with TP.
The first 5 miles of the trail to the Foss River crossing was in great condition. There were 2 blowdowns, one on the first bridge you cross, which is an easy step over and another about 1.5-2 miles up the trail that you need to crawl under. The trail up (and up) from the river to Jade Lake is also in good condition. There is one branchy blowdown at about 2,900 feet that you need to awkwardly crawl over and another blowdown up near Jade Lake that is an easy step over.
The blueberries and huckleberries in Necklace Valley are at peak ripeness and deliciousness right now. These are all along the trail west of Emerald and Opal Lakes.
The wild flowers are looking lovely along the rocky moraine up to Tank Lakes. I am always amazed how these fragile flowers grow in such rocky terrain.
Mosquitoes were a bit of a nuisance at Tank Lakes. I didn’t apply repellent the first night I was there since it was chilly anyway and I put on extra layers. But I did put a little bit of 30% DEET on the second night when they seemed to be most active between 5:30pm and 8:00pm, which kept them at bay. The mossys basically disappeared right after 8:00pm on both nights, which is apparently their bedtime.
I measured the water temperature in Tank Lake to be 54 degrees. A bit chilly for me, but I saw a few folks and many dogs over the two days cooling off in it.
When I arrived back at the East Fork TH on Saturday, Aug 31st at about 6:00pm I was surprised that there were a few open spots in the actual lot, but I assume those spots opened when some folks returned. However, I counted approximately 100, YES 100, cars parked along the road. So, a little spoiler alert on how busy it got later. The privy at the lot was still stocked with TP.
In addition, I gave a backpacker, who did the Alpine Lakes High Route counterclockwise, a ride back to the West Fork Foss River TH and there were at least 50 cars there, many also along the road. Sorry, I didn’t check the privy there.
Main Report:
Day 1, August 29th
The first 5 miles to the East Fork Foss river crossing is pleasant. Note that it isn’t as flat as the trail descriptions make it seem to be. There is still a bit of up and down, but it is relatively easy compared to what is coming up. As you approach the river crossing, pause and admire the huge cedars that the loggers somehow missed back in the day. There is a fallen one that is truly massive, at least 10 feet in diameter that you cannot miss. The first log bridge crossing over the river has a nice handrail. You walk a bit and then cross another well worn, but sturdy log bridge. Then the trail goes up and up. Much of it is in the shade, but there is a particularly steep, rocky section that is exposed to the sun. Relievingly (if that’s a word) there are a few short stretches of the trail that are more of a traverse or rising traverse giving your quads some brief breaks. Note too, that there are plenty of water sources, so carry only what you need and refill as required.
After climbing another steep rocky section, you approach pretty Jade Lake. I passed Jade, crossing the inlet via rock hopping and continued up to Emerald and Opal, passing a boatload of blueberry and huckleberries. I was originally planning on camping south of Opal Lake at a site I used the last time I was here, but it has since overgrown, so I decided to just head up to Tank Lakes. I am sure glad I did. I scored a beautiful site on the north side of the lake with an awesome reflective view of the Summit Chief Mtn. and Overcoat Peak in the lake. The only downside is that the sun “sets” behind the ridge so it cools off early compared to sites west and south of the lake. But the view is worth it. The moonless night provided endless stargazing and a lovely view of the Milky Way reflected in the lake. I ended up just staying at that site for two nights. There were about 8 folks camped there at 5 sites my first night.
Day 2, August 30
Today was just a relaxing day to explore the granite slabs and tarns in the Tank Lakes area. I initially walked west to investigate how much of the Alpine Lakes High route I could see (see enclosed panorama). Then I was interested in finding the other Tank Lake north of the one I was staying at. I ventured around more granite slabs and tarns and did find it. I was getting hungry so I wanted to find a lunch spot with a view down the Necklace Valley with Glacier Peak in the background, which I did along with a few hoverfly friends (see pic).
Quite a few more folks were arriving during the late afternoon and early evening. I counted about 14 folks at the lake. Another star filled night.
Day 3, August 31
Took my time getting up and ready. I eventually departed at 10am. This is when I started seeing more and more folks coming up. There were a lot coming up the moraine and they just kept coming as I dropped lower. After arriving back in the valley area, the number of backpackers just kept increasing. I lost count after 30 or 40, so it was much much greater than that. It felt like I was on Mt. Si on a nice day - seriously. I am not complaining, I am certainly happy that folks are getting out there. I was just surprised since this isn’t the easiest place to get to, which was my reason to come here. Even with all of the people I saw, I was still shocked by the 100 or so cars at the TH. When I was here last, a Ranger told me that this valley can absorb a lot of people, but I am just curious how many stayed at Tank Lakes since even 14 seemed like a lot. The remainder of the hike out was uneventful, however I took extra time looking at the huge trees, mushrooms and other flora on the way out.
Another fun backpack trip. I was also testing a new lightweight pack and also packed as if I was doing a long PCT trip. With the elevation gain and steepness of this trip, I was certainly glad I went nearly as light as I could get.
Have fun out there,
OMG
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