Talapus and Olallie Lakes, Pratt Lake Basin — Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025

We went out this morning to check out Talapus, Olallie, and Pratt lakes for potential winter camping.

About .8 of a mile before the trailhead parking there was a tree down across the road as another user noted. We saw a white SUV parked near the tree. We pulled in behind to take a look. 

To us it looked like we might be able to make some room for a car. The main part of the tree had broken when it fell on the road. We were able to pull a large part of the crown away and off the road. After that, there were other branches still attached to the tree that were obstructing the road. Luckily, I had my WTA corona saw that I had earned after 50 days of trail work. The branches left to cut were small enough for the hand saw. I cut away branches and my brother tossed debris off the side of the road. By the time we were done there was enough room for a car! 

There were no more blowdowns, so we made it to the trailhead parking. We were the first car, and by the time we got back from hiking, the parking lot was mostly full! Glad our small amount of work was able to benefit so many!

The trail itself was pleasant and in good condition. A couple of blowdowns, but easy enough to step over. The trail between Talapus and Olallie and up to Pratt was very soggy. Water was flowing on parts of the trail, and other parts were waterlogged. Probably not going to change much with the upcoming rain. We took the footpath from the far end of Olallie to connect with the Pratt Lake trail. That thing is steep!

We decided to hike up to the ridge before the descent to Pratt Lake, but not descend to the lake. The trail was in great condition up to that point. There were some small stretches of snow on the trail, but not worth putting on microspikes. We stopped for a snack break. It got chilly up here, 35 and much colder with the wind kicking up. Then we returned down the trail back to the car. It was like the hike up, but in reverse. :) 

A gorgeous gloomy day! We can’t wait for the snow level to drop!