East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley, Tank Lakes — Monday, Aug. 15, 2016

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

The first 5 miles are very easy with minimal elevation gain, and the log bridge across the East Fork Foss River makes for a good spot to take a load off for both dayhikers and backpackers. If you don't enjoy elevation gain then turn back here, because the next three miles are brutal if you aren't used to it. You gain about 600 feet over the first five miles, and then in the following 3 miles you gain about 2400 very inconsistent feet to Jade Lake. The sign at the trailhead says 7 miles to Jade Lake, which is not true in the least, I've done this hike twice now, and both times there has been at least 2 Suunto GPS watches in my group (mine both times and another on each trip, 3 total). All 3 watches have indicated that the trail is actually about 8 miles to Jade Lake. Jade Lake is gorgeous and appears to be a decent spot to swim in, however, there is only one truly established campsite on the southeast corner of the lake, so you'll want to get there early if you want that spot. There is one other small spot suitable for a smaller tent on an "island" between the inflow of the lake, but this is directly on the trail so expect some foot traffic if you camp here. Emerald Lake is more or less a large swamp. It is very shallow but there are a few more spots to camp along it, most notably a rocky ledge overlooking the lake on the center of the west side, and there appears to be room to camp by the broken down cabin as well. Opal Lake is most comparable to a large canal system. There are lots of streams carving through a marshy grassland, and it makes for a pretty cool photo op but other than that there isn't much to see at Opal. We saw several groups around the valley, most of whom had gone on to one of the extended trips, La Bohn Lakes or Tank Lakes. Tank Lakes was our destination, and after the crash course with route-finding/scrambling/bushwhacking that I experienced on my last trip up to them I wanted to find a true trail up to them. After Opal Lake just follow the trail and the cairns. It should start getting rockier and more overgrown, but still easy to follow. Keep going until you come to a stream that begins to slant uphill to the right marked by several cairns, this is the path that leads to Tank Lakes. The path leads you up the stream into a gully. Keep your eyes peeled for cairns on the right side of the gully because the most obvious route up branches off right here and follows those cairns. It is very exposed in this part of the valley so definitely bring sunscreen. There is no defined trail to speak of, so you'll basically be relying on cairns the whole way up, but if you lose the cairns then just head west or southwest the best you can through the granite scree fields. Once you get to Tank Lakes you are greeted by views of Chimney Rock and Summit Chief Mountain. There are several camping locations around the lakes so find one that suits your needs. The bugs here are horrendous without bug spray, even at night. Our tent had about 30 mosquitoes on it at any given time, so bring bug spray, don't forget it like I did. The total distance to Tank Lakes is about 11 miles and a total elevation gain of 4200 feet, and definitely worth the miles, although the 5 mile stretch at the start feels like it never ends.