My GPS measured about 4.3 miles from the parking lot to the base of the lake. If you explore around the lake and check out Upper Melakwa, add .5 miles to that bringing my round trip to 9.5 miles. The elevation listed on WTA was pretty spot on with my device, I showed 2570 ft total elevation gain.
Directions on the trail description are spot on as well, very easy to find. I arrived at the parking lot about 745am, was the 3rd car in the lot. 4 more cars showed up in the 10 minutes it took me to hit the trail. The first mile to the Denny Creek water slide area is mild, and peaceful in the morning when nobody else is out there! At the slide area, head straight across the flat rock and start your ascent. There is a sign marking the trail here. The next mile is steady uphill, but nothing too crazy. At about 2 miles in, you'll see Keekwulee Falls from a distance across a valley. Very cool, wish I could have gotten closer. I did see someone on top of the falls on the way back down, appeared to be a lone guy walking around naked (see picture) ha! I have no idea how he got there, I didn't see any trails branching off from the main trail. This was the only wildlife I saw on the trail aside from a couple friendly chipmunks and a hawk at the lake.
Another short hike (maybe another .5 miles) and you'll cross Denny Creek for the second time. This area is great to splash some water on your face and neck if its hot out, which it was when I hiked it. The next mile is the toughest, crossing multiple rock fields very exposed to the sun. The elevation gain seemed to increase too, but maybe that was because I was starting to get tired. Again, WTA was spot on with the distance to Hemlock Pass. They say 3.8 miles, my GPS said 3.9. It was a great feeling for a novice hiker like myself to finally top out at the pass! After that it is a short descent down to the lake.
Melakwa Lake is great! I didn't swim but saw another group getting their feet wet. It looked cold! Clear blue water and high mountain ridges. Pretty much a perfect alpine lake in my opinion. I saw 2 tents, but I think there are about 6-8 campsites around the lake. Once you get to the base of the lake, cross a logjam and continue left. The trail to the right only goes another 50 yards or so from what I could see (good spot for pictures though). The trail to the left continues along the lower lake and is pretty rocky but very worth it. Wildflowers weren't too prevalent for most of the trail, but along the lake they are everywhere. Shortly you'll get too Upper Melakwa lake, which is much smaller but offers an entirely different view. Again, don't hike all the way up there and skip this! The hike down took a little less time, but is still a bit challenging in itself due to the loose rock crossings and steep terrain. Also, the heat (due to being later in the day) was a factor coming down, lots of fairly long areas exposed to sun.
A couple tips...
Wear boots! I thankfully heard the advice given by previous trip reports and wore my thick soled hiking boots. I usually don't like to wear them over my lighter trail shoes, but was glad I did. There are alot of sharp loose rocks over steep terrain. Walking over them with boots was MUCH easier.
Get there early! I parked up front when I got there at 745am. When I left at 3pm there were cars lining the road prob at least .5 miles away. That being said, the crowds weren't too bad once you get past the water slide area. I only saw one other group going up, and maybe 5-6 groups heading up on my way down.
Bugs! This was my first bad experience with bugs. I had (and used) bug spray, so the mosquitos weren't an issue for me. The bees and horse flies however, were terrible. From the second Denny Creek crossing to my entire time at the lake I had a constant buzzing around me. One bee in particular chased me a few hundred yards up the trail circling my head the entire time. Maybe he was just motivating me to keep pushing on haha. There are lots of bugs with the season, just be prepared.
All in all, it was a tough but attainable hike for a novice like me looking to push for more miles and elevation. I've hiked Little Si, Rattlesnake Ledge, Snow Lake, and Annette Lake so far (my first season hiking), this was the most challenging yet!
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