Two-night trip with a night at Spike Camp and a night at Flapjack Lakes. We intended to also go to Gladys Divide, but conditions were a little smokier than expected and we were happy to enjoy a lazy lake day.
We arrived at Staircase late morning and the lots were full. We were directed to park on the side of the main road. There is a warning at the trailhead about a recent cougar sighting near Spike Camp.
The trail to Spike Camp was well maintained. The camp is one of the places with "99+" permits available, but there are really only about 7-8 flat tent pads. I counted about a dozen tents on Sunday morning, and I think some people were forced onto less-than-ideal surfaces. Camp has a bear wire and toilet and a good running water source about 1/8 mile down the trail.
The trail to Flapjack Lakes is, as expected, steep. There were a number of larger blowdowns and a few steep areas experiencing erosion. The last half mile is harder than it looks on paper due to the rocky trail. There is no water available between Spike Camp and Flapjack, as the Madeline Creek is inaccessible from the trail.
At Flapjack Lakes we took an established site near the South Lake. The bear wire there has only one functioning hang, so be prepared to share, or BYO rope. The isthmus is closed to camping for restoration, but there are some sunny sitting spots along the trail. If you are heading to the group site, the creek crossing between the lakes is a little spicy, but doable without wet toes. It was also a good place to grab running water. The south lake was good for swimming and catches the most afternoon sun, but beware that somebody cleaned their fish at the closest access point to the main trail :(
We saw a few mosquitoes and a lot of flies and bees. None of the bugs were very aggressive, just ever-present, and nobody in our party got bit badly or stung. There was a grouse family near camp, and we spotted a young black bear near the camps early Monday morning.
Blue huckleberries are out in force and made a great addition to our Monday morning flapjacks.
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