Clara and Marion Lakes — Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024

As mentioned in prior trip reports, the larches are out! They are not *quite* full peak yet with plenty still lime green (maybe 30-40%?) and I would imagine they’ll last throughout this week to keep glowing (barring any strong winds/precipitation to hasten the needles to drop!).

We arrived to the trailhead just before 12pm on Saturday and the lot was packed full - we were able to grab a spot on the larger shoulder just around the corner. Trail is slightly steep but short, this is a very family friendly hike and was well populated along the way. Clara Lake is a true beauty with crystal clear mirrored reflection especially gorgeous on our b blue bird day. We wandered up to Marion Lake which was also pretty but notably dried out and much smaller than shown on the AllTrails map. Still worth the little jaunt farther, as you get up closer to some of the really tall larches!

We made it back to the car before 2pm. Beautiful drive!