We arrived at the Heather Meadows parking lot shortly after 11:00 a.m. on a partly sunny Tuesday morning. The drive up was clear of snow, as was the parking lot, although there was snow along the road edges and on the ground around the parking lot. There were only about a dozen vehicles in the lot. The toilets at the trailhead were clean and well stocked.
The Mount Baker Highway is closed above Heather Meadows, but the road surface was clear of snow as it continued up past the barrier. We couldn’t tell how far that was true, but one intrepid skier packed his skis on his back and road off up the road on a mountain bike, hopeful of finding some skiable snow.
We hiked counter clockwise around the lakes, starting on the Chain Lakes trail along the west side of the valley. The trail was initially clear of snow but very wet. Much of the trail bed was running with meltwater, so we were hiking up a stream more than a trail. Fortunately, we were wearing water resistant hiking boots because dry hiking was impossible. The lakes were not frozen and many small streams and rivulets were coursing down the rocky bluffs along the west shoreline.
At the junction with the Bagley Lakes trail, we turned right, crossed the bridge, and hiked back along the east side of the lakes. That trail on this side is more open and flatter and, although wet, was easier going than the west side. About halfway along there was a lovely waterfall where water was cascading over vertical columnar basalt pillars (see photo). We stopped to admire this and then realized that the trail went right through the liquid cascade. We made a detour by climbing down below the falls and stepping across rocks, getting only a minor shower in the process. Clearly the waterfall is not normally so vigorous.
The Bagley Lakes Loop is certainly doable but be prepared for wet and muddy conditions and the challenge of the waterfall.
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