Gothic Basin — Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025

Trailhead:
Arrived at the trailhead around 7:45 the morning of Saturday 8/30 to begin an overnight backpacking trip. The trailhead itself is small and was full by the time we got there. We parked along the road not too far away.

Hiking up:
The hike up starts flat for the first couple of miles, and then begins to sharply ascend shortly after crossing a stream. Once reaching the ascent, the trail (which was mostly dirt and loose rock) switchbacks through the forest. A while later the trail becomes a bit more rocky, but still climbs through patches of trees and the occasional exposed section. Only in the last 0.75 miles did the trail begin to feel more exposed. With our overnight packs it was slow going. With plenty of breaks for rest, water and snacks, it took us approximately 5 hours to reach Foggy lake. We found trekking poles to be helpful on the way up.

Backpacking sites:
With it being a beautiful Labor Day weekend, we were fully expecting the area to be packed with overnighters (and it was!) On our way up we chatted with a few folks returning from their overnight trips who mentioned that quite a few backpacking groups had set out and arrived very early in the morning. Sure enough, when we arrived at Foggy Lake around 1:30pm, nearly all of the established campsites around the lake were already claimed. Though all of the sites to the right of the main trail were taken, we were still able to snag one up on a small ridge to the left of the main trail. There were still plenty of established sites available in the lower area of Gothic Basin.

Hiking down:
We left Gothic Basin around 9:30am and made it back to the trailhead around 1pm (around 3.5 hours), with only a few short breaks. There are plenty of opportunities to slip, trip or fall on the steep trail heading downward, so consider building in time to take it slow if needed. Trekking poles were yet again helpful. We only passed ~6-8 groups of backpackers heading up, so it seems as though Sunday night may have been slightly less busy than Saturday night despite the holiday weekend.