I did a 2 night backpack starting Friday doing a wildlife survey with a volunteer group to spot mountain goats. We didn't see any goats, but we saw tons of marmots, pika, and we saw bear and cougar scat on the trail.

The hike up the trail was in reasonably ok shape before the big rock washout a few miles in (a bit overgrown, some logs down), but it got a lot worse once we crossed the washout. Lots of hopping over and ducking under big logs (at least 30 something of them)... A small saw would be super helpful here.

We went up Fish Creek Pass and I went up Courtney Peak to see if I could get a better view of the surrounding area. Once the sun set we headed down to Star Lake and setup camp. There was a guy with a dog that had a campfire not too far from the lake, but other than that it was just us.

The next day we headed towards Surprise Lake. My partner posted up at one of the passes looking around towards Star and down the valley towards the East Buttermilk drainage and I pushed on towards Surprise Lake and got up the pass that went into Indianhead Basin. I didn't drop in to the basin because we were supposed to observe goats around Surprise Lake/Fish Creek Pass. We met up by Surprise Lake and went back to camp.

I decided to go up Gray Peak to see if I could spot goats with my binoculars before sunset, but didn't see any. There were a lot of cute marmots down by the trail though and some deer nearby.

I herded some cows with my Jeep down the road on the way out (I guess they got past the cattle gate).

Bugs

The mosquitos got bad after the washout and were really bad the rest of the trip (especially where there was water). There were some annoying biting flies over by Indianhead Basin too.

Berries

There were a lot of good huckleberries in the first few miles, but we didn't see any more for the rest of the trip.

Flowers/Plants

Lots of pretty flowers along the entire trail (lupine, paintbrush, purple daisies).

I pulled some spotted knapweed up along the trail, but missed the diffuse knapweed at the trailhead and along the trail. If you spot knapweed, please pull it up (it's an invasive species)!

Pioneer Fire

It looked like the Fish Creek Trail survived the Pioneer Fire, but areas further downhill were really burned (the fire basically stopped at the Fish Creek Trail). I don't think it would be fun trying to get up from Lake Chelan to Fish Creek Pass.

Lost Water Filter

I dropped my water filter somewhere on the trail. If you happen to find it (it's a Katadyn BeFree), please leave a comment.

The Eagle/Oval Loop was an incredible 3-day Larch Madness hike, just past peak but still stunning. The road was in fine shape for a sedan going slow-ish when it turned to dirt for the last few miles. I hiked the loop counter-clockwise. I camped at Silver Lake the first night, which made for a shorter first day after the long drive to the trailhead. Silver Lake, despite being mundane as alpine lakes go, did have several nice campsites. The trail there is very well graded, but was made infinitely more difficult by dodging hundreds of land mines left by a team of twelve horses who dropped off a pair of hunters earlier in the day over Eagle Pass (I met them as they were headed back to the trailhead). The first day to Silver Lake was rather boring, to be honest, with no views and just trudging uphill; the same was true going downhill on day three descending from camp at West Oval Lake. However, the middle day was absolutely stunning. The larches start coming into view about a mile shy of Eagle Pass, and from there all the way around to West Oval Lake the views and the larches were indescribably beautiful. Tuckaway Lake in particular was mesmerizing. There were some patches of snow on the trail, in particular when climbing on the Chelan Summit Trail just before the unnamed pass looking down into Fish Creek Basin, and again climbing Oval Pass from the south, but the worst was on the Oval Lakes Trail just below Oval Pass until the saddle heading into Middle and East Oval Lakes (there was fresh snow the day I did it, and that night it got more along with an overnight low of about 25*). I didn't need any traction, but the stretch leading to the saddle between Oval Pass and Middle and East Oval Lakes will likely need traction after mid-week, if not now. Middle and East Oval Lakes were beautiful, as were the high meadows in the descent to the lakes. Middle Oval definitely has better campsites. West Oval (where I stayed) had many great camps, too, but as previously noted, the birds are quite friendly and have become accustomed to food. The hike out down Oval Creek was long and monotonous, made worse by overgrown brush spreading into the trail and getting my pants and shoes absolutely drenched with rain from the night before (snow at higher elevations; it was 30* at sunrise at West Oval). After navigating around the horse poop again in the final two miles it was back to the car and a stellar drive home over the North Cascades Highway.

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!

It was a last minute decision to backpack "the Golden Lakes Loop" after learning that our initial plan to ALW area was a no go with a forecast over 50-80% chance of rain.

Left Lynnwood at around 8 AM and got to Crater Creek TH parking lot at around 12:30 PM. 

The forest road was a typical forest gravel road with small potholes. All vehicles should be able to make it to the trailhead.

We did the loop counterclockwise. We started at Eagle Lakes Trail, spent the night at upper eagle lake, continued the next day to Boiling Lake Trail, went up to Summit Trail, huffed and puffed along Angel Staircase, admired the larches even more at Cooney Lake Trail, and tried to speed up along Martin Creek Trail (it's such a slog).

On our way up to upper Eagle Lake, we met countless of mountain bikers, a group of 5 or 6 dirt bikers and around 5 different group of hikers. I expected it since the trail is a shared trail. We saw no horse that day, but the proof that they hiked the trail (poop) was scattered along the trail. Motorcycles were only allowed up to a certain area and we only saw them on our way up to Upper Eagle. All were friendly and we did not have a problem with a shared trail. In fact, we mostly had the trail to ourselves.

The trail was well-maintained. It was nicely graded, never felt too steep, and there were no blowdowns to go over and under. Just a straightforward trail although we had to check our GPS everytime we saw trail junctions. There were many areas to explore!

Yellow larches were showing at elevation 7,000ft and above and we did not expect that. Some looked greenish but a lot have turned yellow especially on Cooney Lake Trail, upper Eagle Lake and the area around Angel Staircase. It was so gorgeous.

Since we camped overnight at upper Eagle, we only did around 6.6 mi on the first day. On the second day, it was pretty taxing as we did a little more than 17 miles. 

We caught a good weather window. It started to rain for a bit when pitched the tent on Saturday at around 4 PM, and around the same time just before we reached the parking lot on Sunday.

In total we did around 23.77 mi with 10:50 moving time.

I climbed Oval Ck Trail and visited all three Oval Lakes, then over Oval Pass with a side trip to Gray Peak, dropping to the Summit Trail and back to the Eagle Creek trail and returning via Eagle Pass.

This is a strenuous but beautiful loop offering a wide spectrum of scenery and landscape.  26 miles and about 7200 feet vertical but I had perfect late summer weather, no bugs, no smoke, no wind and generally impeccable trail conditions. 

The first 1.5 miles from the Eagle Cr. trailhead passes through the 2018 Crescent burn. This is the worst of the burned area and even here there are patches of surviving trees. It is encouraging to see considerable fir/spruce/pine regeneration along with willow and abundant fireweed coming in.

Aptly named Duckbill Mountain divides Eagle and Oval Creeks. After crossing Eagle Creek the trail climbs sharply about 400 to the junction with the Oval Ck Trail. Above this point the burn scar is more spotty, and after a mile one is back to unburned forest. 

This is similar if one stayed on the Eagle Ck Trail. After a .7 mi level traverse around Duckbill through fireweed and willow brush on well maintained tread the trail crosses Eagle Ck again. After this crossing the trail climbs sharply through the burn but after a mile reenters undisturbed spruce forest.

Both trails were free of all but the most superficial blowdows.

Continuing up the Oval Cr trail, the grade.is mostly gradual through forest dominated by old spruce. There is little water available crossing the trail but in several locations the creek is reasonably accessible. There is a steep but well graded climb for the last mile to the spur to West Oval Lake. 

This lake is truly a gem: deep and sitting in a larch filled basin with ample camping and smooth white ledges leading into the water. I soaked my feet and had an excellent lunch here.

From the spur junction the trail to the other Oval Lakes climbs steeply through larch meadow towards Oval Pass. A few hundred feet below the pass the trail to the other lakes goes left at an unsigned junction. This traverses steep gravel climbing to a rocky rib at 7600 feet that divides West Oval from her sisters. 

Oval Peak, the "Titan of the Chelan-Sawtooth" dominates the landscape here. Gray Peak rises just above this rib, which then connects to Courtney Peak, towering just above the lakes. From Courtney the ridge climbs to the massive rock pile that is Oval Peak. 

From the rib the trail drops 800 feet in a mile or so down through larch filled meadows, then forest to Middle Oval. There is an excellent if currently dry trail camp in the meadows a quarter mile above the lake. This last quarter mile drops sharply to Middle Oval. There are several significant blowdowns across the way. The lake is not seen until near the outlet at a dusty but accommodating trail camp. The cliff face of Courtney Peak gives the otherwise forested lake a dramatic backdrop. 

I camped here and took a morning hike down to the East Oval Lake. The trail to this lake is well worn but there are several more blowdowns. This is the smallest, lowest, most forested lake and appears quite shallow. The shore is difficult to access in most places and I did not see any established camp. Walking around the lake was essentially a bushwhack, with occasional traces of a path. It is an attractive but not terribly accommodating lake but could be friendly to the angler.. 

After  my trip to the East lake I packed up and scrambled back up the thousand feet to Oval Pass. On the way I saw my first other hikers on the trip! From Oval Pass I followed the well established boot path +-.7 miles up to the 8100’ Gray Peak. It was a perfect day and the well documented 360 degree views cannot be overhyped. Here I met a ridge-runner out bagging some peaks. The ridgeline from Courtney Peak to Battle Mountain provides great moderate scrambling,

Sticking to the trail myself today, I dropped down to Tuckaway Lake to soak my feet in the cold water of this small round lake in a lovely alpine meadow. Another short hike brought me down to the intersection with Summit Trail in a larch filled open basin. At this junction is the finest trail camp in the Sawtooth area. There are nice benches, several good tent sites, a nearby open air privy and cold spring water bubbling out of white granite talus. 

The two mile stretch of the Summit Trail back to Eagle Creek Trail is well graded up and over a shoulder before crossing the saddle between the East and North Forks of Fish Creek and then dropping steeply to the junction with the Eagle Creek Trail. 

I filled up with water at the stream near the junction as there is no water this time of year at Eagle Pass. There is also a very accommodating trail camp here. The trail up to the pass is very steep but in good condition, climbing about 800 feet in a bit over a mile. Just below the pass is a broad meadow with excellent views to the west. My camp was a compact site right at the pass with views up into the Pasayten. I climbed the small ridge at the pass to eat my supper and watch  the sun set over Bonanza Peak.

I got up before down the next morning to see if I could view a comet which supposedly would be visible in the predawn. I could see no sign of the comet, although Venus and the Moon were spectacular shining above Oval Peak in the early dawn sky. 

The trip down Eagle Creek was about as nice a 4300’ descent as one could have. After the initial 500 drop off the pass the trail is nicely graded and well maintained through old forest and the occasional meadow. There are several springs crossing the trail although the creek is inaccessible. Halfway down is a sign for the short spur to Silver Lake, which I did not visit. As you reenter the burned area the trail gets brushy and steeper but there is still good tread. A final few switchbacks bring back to the crossing of Eagle Creek and the short, enjoyable traverse back to close the loop at the Oval Creek Trail. Note that old USGS maps show the Eagle Creek Trail descending all the way to the foot of Duckbill Mountain before the junction but this was obviously rerouted long ago.