This was an overnighter to Heart Lake on Lily Basin Trail #86 from 7-28-19 to 7-29-18 for a 15 mile round trip, not counting the time in camp, that took 5hrs going in and 2500ft elevation gain and 3.75 hrs return.
FR48 is in good condition with few potholes but there is one spot around 5.2. miles in with a deep runoff rut that crosses the road. Tricky for low clearance vehicles. One person had to unload his horses from the trailer and slowly drive across then reload. There were 4-5 cars at the trailhead with not much room to spare.
The start of Trail #86 is a gradual incline for a few miles then you start hiking on the forested ridge. The trail does have some steep grades now. At 4.2 miles you get good views as the trees thin out. You’ll cross the ridge once and cross back then finally lose trees. There is plenty of water here…but no flowing water until this point.
At 5.2 miles in your hiking on the West Slope of Johnson Peak following a cirque around to Angry Mountain. This section is 90% scree and crosses 4-5 glacial runoffs. In years past…there was a deep one that required hiking down 10ft into the runoff, crossing the water, then a wall of dirt, mud with no handholds to get out. Difficult to cross. HOWEVER, this year…it was fixed!!! I ran across someone with horses with Back Country Horsemen clearing blow-downs making his way for Heart Lake. He told me last year they dynamited that section making it VERY EASY to get across. IT survived the winter and was a breeze to get across! THANKS!
The junction with Angry Mountain Trail #90 is beautiful and a great place for a rest. Your on the alpine ridge. An old sign marks the junction and the views are everywhere. From there it’s only .5 miles to Heart Lake taking an unmarked trail down to the right. I saw one tent on the way down and ran across a 10 person Boy Scout Troop visiting the area on a 8 day trek starting at Packwood Lake. It took a long time, but they found a good spot for all of them.
There are 5 or so established camping sites here. One right off the lake in the meadow, one near the lakes entrance, one near the outlet and a couple other smaller sites above either side of the lake. However, it WAS BUGGY!!! You couldn’t sit still without being swarmed with flies. Long sleeves were a must. I camped off the trail in a dry grassy area with a fire ring. No matter where you were, meadow or forest…it was buggy and DEET didn't help. Wind helped a lot but was not constant. Bring long sleeves.
The night was beautiful! Clear view of the cirque around Heart Lake, the stars and a Moon Rise over Hawkeye Point. Gorgeous.
The return trip was uneventful and quick. You don’t realize how much and gradually you climbed until you’re going back. A fun trip…however next time I’d like to pass Heart Lake and camp at Jordan Basin near Goat Lake, for a 2-3 day point-to-point.
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