West Fork Foss River and Lakes — Sunday, Sep. 28, 2025

My goal was to explore beyond Big Heart to Angeline and potentially Chetwoot, but due to a combination of smoke, time, and stamina, I called it a day at Big Heart. 

Highlight: Thanks to an old trip report, I found a viewpoint I loved! Even in the smoke, it was beautiful; I’d love to go back and see it on a clear day. It also shows up on Gaia.

• Between Little Heart and Big Heart, 6.5 miles from the trailhead, take a side trail on the left (see picture).
• There are two viewpoints there: one over Trout Lake, and one (see picture, which doesn’t nearly do it justice) looking southeast. You can see all of Delta Lake, almost directly below you by 1600 feet, a corner of Otter Lake, Angeline Falls, and a piece of Angeline Lake above.

Road:

• First 3.5 unpaved miles: ribbed, but next to no potholes.
• Final 2 unpaved miles: many avoidable potholes and a few unavoidable ones.

Parking lot:

• Spots to spare, but 35 cars and zero humans, 15 minutes after sunrise on a smoky Sunday! All campers.
• At 3:30 PM, I forgot to count, but the lot was mostly empty.

Bathroom:

• Clean and stocked, morning and afternoon. Thanks!

Trail condition:

• The blowdown pictured in other reports is huge – diameter a bit taller than me, and I’m 5’7”. It’s almost exactly 3 miles from the trailhead, between Trout and Copper. Sticks and steps cut into it make it simple enough for an adult to get over, though small dogs or children might need to be carried.
• Several short dirt sections on the switchbacks between there and Malachite Falls are starting to erode a bit. Nothing emergent, but showing wear and tear.
• Several blowdowns on the downhill to Big Heart; none more than 2-3 feet thick, all navigable, none look new.

Views:

• I began smelling smoke passing Trout Lake. It was clear at Copper and Little Heart on my way up. On the way up from Little Heart to Big Heart, there had been views of Trout Lake below, but very shortly afterwards on the way back, the valley was a wall of grey. By then, I couldn’t even see the other side of Little Heart, which is only a couple thousand feet across.
• Likely because the air was clearest, I particularly loved Copper Lake (see picture). Nothing like morning light and fall colors to bring out beautiful reflections in emerald waters. The trail hugs it for about half a mile, so you get plenty of time to enjoy it.
• After admiring very tall waterfalls from downstream, it’s very satisfying to hear them below you!

Navigation:

• The trail was quite evident. The only times I checked the map were when my legs were wondering how far we were from the next lake.

People:

• On the way up, nearly every campsite at every lake was full; on the way down, between noon and 3 PM, every single one was empty. Main topic of conversation was smoke – how was it where you just were? – but conditions change more quickly than hikers hike, so in the end, such comments were not as useful as they seemed.
• Very few day hikers – maybe 6 times, all when I was headed back down.

I love this area – Big Heart, Necklace Valley, Surprise/Glacier, all of it. I’m looking forward to going back on a clearer day next year, with less smoke, more time, and more energy, to revisit the views and make another attempt at Chetwoot!