The last time I did this hike, there was snow and ice all the way up. The time before that... fireweed aflame in pinkest bloom, with several people swimming. This time, I got to experience dramatic low-hanging clouds, myriad orange fungi underfoot, and blushes of fall colors on the slopes enveloping the lake.

I arrived at 12:45pm to a main parking lot almost full. The "extra" parking lot was empty. The bathroom is well-stocked with TP, and I saw no trash at any juncture. Two flies pestered me, though they were not pernicious enough for me to do anything more than wave them away.

The ascent got my blood pumping. I still only drank two 16oz water bottles over the course of my hike. I chalk it up to the cooler weather.

All hikers encountered both up and down were amicable. I saw about thirty other people. I spent much of my walking time in total silence with 10-20 minute intervals of no human interaction.

I arrived at the lake at 1:45pm. The sun poked through the clouds just in time for me to crest a rock and photosynthesize! >:)

A silent salute to the fellow solitary rock-sitters triangulating the water with me at 2pm. It's a comfort to see other people enjoying the wilderness alone. The friendly dragonflies, butterflies, and jumping fish make for excellent company. My apologies to the garter snake I startled.

Heather Lake has many good seats and is easy to share.

The trail is a bit wet with some shallow creeks to be crossed. I'd rather hike in mud/small amounts of water, often navigable or circumnavigable with poles, than contend with wildfire smoke. Nonetheless, I was very glad to have my poles.

There is a small tree across the trail early on that can either be crouched under or bypassed by taking a steep footpath to its left.

The recent trail improvements still smelled like fresh-cut wood. An enormous thank you to our trail workers!

I returned to my car at 4:30pm, moving at the pace of plant identification and root-wrangling. My heart was filled to the brim from all those xanthous fungi discoveries (the yellow coral was especially beguiling.) 🍄🍁

The last time I did this hike, there was snow all the way up. The time before that... fireweed in bloom and aflame, with several people swimming in the lake. This time, I got to experience dramatic low-hanging clouds, myriad orange fungi underfoot, and blushes of fall colors on the slopes enveloping the lake.

I arrived at 12:45pm to a main parking lot almost full. The "extra" parking lot was empty. The bathroom is well-stocked with TP, and I saw no trash at any juncture. Two flies pestered me, though they were not pernicious enough for me to do anything more than wave them away.

The ascent got my blood pumping. I still only drank two 16oz water bottles over the course of my hike. I chalk it up to the cooler weather.

All hikers encountered both up and down were amicable. I saw about thirty other people. I spent much of my walking time in total silence with 10-20 minute intervals of no human interaction.

I arrived at the lake at 1:45pm. The sun poked through the clouds just in time for me to crest a rock and photosynthesize! >:)

A silent salute to the fellow solitary rock-sitters triangulating the water with me at 2pm. It's a comfort to see other people enjoying the wilderness alone. The friendly dragonflies, butterflies, and jumping fish make for excellent nonhuman company. My apologies to the garter snake I startled.
Heather Lake has many good seats and is easy to share.

The trail is a bit wet with some shallow creeks to be crossed. I'd rather hike in mud/small amounts of water, often navigable or circumnavigable with poles, than contend with wildfire smoke. Nonetheless, I was very glad to have my poles.

There is a small tree across the trail early on that can either be crouched under or bypassed by taking a steep footpath to its left.

The recent trail upgrades still smelled like fresh-cut wood. An enormous thank you to our trail workers!

I returned to my car at 4:30pm, moving at the pace of plant identification and root-sidestepping. My heart was filled to the brim from all those bright-hued fungi discoveries (the yellow coral was especially beguiling.) 🍄🍁

Arrived at the trailhead around 10:45am on a Monday. The road is in great condition, and there were less than 10 cars in the parking area. 

As others have mentioned, the first mile or so has been recently repaired with rocks/gravel and wood steps. After that it’s rocks, roots, and more rocks until the trail levels out near the lake. Recommend wearing shoes with good traction for the muddy sections and slippery rocks and roots. Our 40 lb dog managed well but it did require him jumping up and down some steeper bits of the trail.

Passed a few people on the way up, and some on the way down.  Sections of the trail aren’t too wide, so I could see it being less fun to pass people on a crowded weekend day. 

Got to the top around 11:50am. There are lots of little spots to hang out along the lake. The trail around the lake is great. We sat around for a while and had a snack before heading back down around 1pm. Back to the car around 2pm. 

Backpacked this trail with mom, sister, and our 3-year-old daughters. The parking lot had plenty of parking left when we arrived at 8:45 am on Saturday (it was foggy and misty). Bathroom was decent and stocked. It took us 3.5 hours to do the 2.4 miles. This included lots of sit breaks and navigating the gnarly root and rock sections with littles - they rocked it!

There are a handful of dispersed camping spots and plenty of areas to easily access the lake. We only saw one other group who was staying the night.

The clouds parted and the sun came out for us when we arrived which was such a treat! We were prepared for cloudy/misty weather our whole trip based on the forecast.

The lake is pretty warm right now. We enjoyed swimming along with a lot of other folks. Such a stunning lake surrounded by tall peaks.

Our hike down took two hours. The 3-year-olds cruised down the roots and enjoyed sliding on their booties down the big rocks. Going down felt a lot harder on the knees - definitely would bring poles next time! The trail also got pretty slick with all of the rain (it rained our entire hike down).

Definitely will be returning for this one! I can see why it is so popular.

Just a reminder to pack out your trash and dog poop bags.

Arrived about noon, parking crowded but we managed to secure a spot pretty quickly. Bathroom pretty clean! A little cloudy but headed up the trail hoping for sun break. As mentioned in other reports, first mile of trail is very manageable, second mile you begin to reach logs to climb over, very wet and slippery rocks and LOTS of root climbs. All doable if you go slow up and down, we did pass hikers younger than me who had slipped and/or had ankle issues. Go slow, poles are very helpful up and down and watch where you put your feet. Enjoyed the beautiful lake at the top, sun peeked out and mist rolled in. A great hike but I probably wouldn't do again as I don't want ankle or knee issues long term.