My wife and I spent the first two days of Labor Day Weekend camped at West Oval Lake. Generally speaking the loop was in good condition, with the exception of the last 5ish miles of the Eagle Pass section (before connecting back with the Oval Lakes Trail), which was very brushy at times, with lots of ankle rollers left over from the removal of the downed logs. That being said, kudos to the local trail crew, as this would have been quite brutal without their hard work, yarding out those logs!
We found a nice camping spot at West Oval Lake. There are several, with defined paths to each. We also got a chuckle at the sign at the turn off stating 'no stock camping past this point', only to find infrastructure at the lake for tying up horses! The path to the fork of Oval Pass and Middle/East Oval Lakes is a steeper grade but is manageable. Just know that from West Oval Lake to the other two Oval Lakes, you will need to climb approximate 100', and then descend most of that. The views From Gray Peak were also outstanding. The next day we went over Oval Pass to Horseshoe Basin. When you arrive at the hunting camp there is a sign for the wilderness toilet. Follow that trail to get back to the #1259 trail to take you to Stehekin/Eagle Pass.
Comments