Overnight larch march Oval Lake Loop from Eagle/Oval Creek TH to West Oval lake and back out. Day 1 was 13.61mi and 5,492ft gain via Eagle Creek/Eagle Pass, around Summit Wilderness Trail to Oval Pass and down to West Oval Lake. Day 2 was hike out from West Oval Lake to the TH which was only 8mi and 105ft gain.
TL;DR:
Trail in is good condition. The first/last 6 miles of Eagle and Oval Creek trails are in an old burn area slightly brushy and overgrown, but nothing bad and trail is easy to follow. The real highlight is from Eagle Pass to Oval pass via the Chelan Summit Trail. Larches were out, and the views are stunning on this back end of the loop. I went on Thursday and saw no one all day until camp which I shared with only 2 other parties.
Road Conditions: Paved quite a long ways until you hit the gravel which is in great condition. Once you hit the sno-park though the tread gets a little more interesting and complicated. There's some more sandy and deep grooved track with bumps, and then when you turn back onto the gravel there are downed trees that force you to hug one side into the bushes, so expect some shrub branches to brush the side of your car to get around them. Aside from this, if you're confident enough driving, I think the clearance would be fine I could see the sno-park area getting mushy if there was fresh rain, and possibly needing AWD or 4WD, but if dry it was no problem. There is also a pit toilet at this TH. Arrived around 10am on Thursday with only 2 other cars there, but full when I returned Friday around 1pm.
Trail Conditions:
Eagle Creek
First 8 miles are up. You'll be averaging about 500 per mile with the last 0.5mi up to the pass getting steeper. The first 6 miles are in the woods with the beginning 2-3 miles in an old burn area and a little more exposed and brushy. All of this area had great fall colors though. You'll hit the larches around mile 6 and they get are INCREDIBLE at the pass. Just a dense golden yellow. The trail itself is great and super easy to follow and tread is good. It's a little loose(ish) as you approach the pass, but had no issues. The view from the pass is stunning with the fall colors and larches with mountain views.
Wilderness Summit Trail:
This trail was the highlight of the trip for me. From Eagle Pass to Oval Pass was amazing views. You can see all the surrounding mountains and the cascade range in the distance with fall colors and larches everywhere. The trail itself is in great shape and very easy to follow. There were some really lovely camp spots along this trail that would be ideal for anyone looking to extend their backpacking trip to more days.
Oval Creek:
Very similar to Eagle Creek trail in that the tread is a little loose near the pass, but nothing too bad, and the grade is steepest on each side of the pass, but the grade is more gentle as you go down. It's more rocky and rooty and technical trail on the east side of the pass. The basin from the trail junction up to the pass is gorgeous and really nice grade. Like eagle creek, it's mostly forest trail and is more fall colors in the exposed old burn area the last (first) few miles of trail.
Animals/Bugs: No bugs, a few yellow jackets still buzzing around but nothing problematic. No animal sightings aside from chipmunks and squirrels. Also the birds at West Oval Lake camp area are not "aggressive" per se, but they will get VERY close to you. They clearly are used to humans and understand that we have food, so just be cautious and aware of that.
Water sources: Plenty of water sources all along the trail. No issues with collecting or dry spells.
Other: I was lucky to have this trail to myself more or less, but passed about 10 people hiking out Friday afternoon, so if you can go on an off day or time you'll be rewarded with solitude, but given the perfect fall weather window and the larches it's a popular trail. Only other note, there is a pit toilet at the trail junction camp as well as west oval.
Happy Trails!
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