A beautiful gem in the mountains. We went on Friday morning and left Sat morning. On Friday, we saw a total of 4 people and had the lake all to ourselves by the afternoon. Only 2 other cars parked when we started. On the way down on Sat morning, there were quite a few people coming up and the parking lot was full when we got down. There's still some snow to the upper lakes but passable. No special gear needed. We camped at campsite 1 because 2 was still partially snow covered. I recommend campsite 2 as it will probably give you more privacy and is slightly higher so you can see the turquoise color of the water better (last photo taken from campsite 2). There are only 2 sites each at lower and upper lakes so once the dayhikers are gone, it's a great quiet sanctuary. Definitely go to upper lakes. Lower lakes is worth the short detour but upper is what will reward you. A great alternative if you want to avoid the crowds of other lake hikes. No pass needed to park but if you want to camp, you will need to stop by the White River Wilderness Information Center to get a wilderness permit (no charge, first come first serve). The ranger station is about a mile away and very easy to get to.
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