I did a modified version of the clockwise loop suggested by Nathan and Jeremy Barnes (of hikingwithmybrother.com fame) in their book Alpine Lakes Wilderness--The Complete Hiking Guide. I would not have thought of putting this loop together if I hadn't read the book, and it was amazing! So if you tackle it, please consider buying their book.

Day 1: Arrived at the Tucquala Meadows TH at the end of Fish Lake Rd, aka FS Rd 4430, midmorning on a Wednesday and scored the last spot in the primary parking lot (there is a small overflow lot). I was very surprised by this, as the TH is 12 miles down a very rough road! When I returned Friday afternoon, all lots were full and people were parked down the road. Something to consider for your planning.

Started at Cathedral Rock trail (Note: Gaia GPS shows the Cathedral Rock trail as the Cathedral Pass trail). Turned Left at Trail Creek trail (note: Gaia depicts the Squitch Lake trail as an alternate route that turns off from the CR trail before TC and parallels it, but I could not discern a trail where the map said it was. It appears to be very overgrown.) Trail Creek Trail is a mellow, gradual descent through the forest. Pretty, but no views. Turned left at Lake Michael Trail. The LM Tr Intersection is well signed but a few hundred feet down the trail from where GPS thinks it is. Hiked 1.6 steep miles to the unsigned intersection with Moonshine Lake Trail (not depicted on Green Trails but is on Gaia GPS). The intersection is obvious, but it's hidden behind a small pine on the left so it would be easy to go past it. Hiked another steep .5 mile to Moonshine, a very pretty lake with several camping options. This is a hidden gem! I set up my tent and set off around 4:30, with fixings for dinner, for a day hike to Michael and Terence Lakes. At this point I was wishing I'd gotten an earlier start, because I wasn't sure about making it to Terence Lake and back before dark. Michael is another tough 2 miles, with an extended descent followed by an ascent. It is gorgeous! Circling the lake I passed by a boulder field guarded by a marmot who was VERY concerned about my presence. (Side note: unlike the marmots around Mt. Rainier that are accustomed to humans, this one had an alarm call that sounded like someone blowing a whistle as hard as they could. I actually thought there was a person in distress somewhere, and I was calling out to them before I saw the marmot and realized where the sound was coming from.) Anyway, I moved on before Grandma Marmot had a heart attack and had a sunset dinner on a rocky beach. At this point I accepted that Lake Terence, although reputed to be the most beautiful of this set of three, was another tough two miles down the trail and so wasn't in the cards for me that day. I returned to Moonshine and got to my tent just as it was getting dark.

Day 2: Returned to Trail Creek, and turned left. This portion of TC is an extended descent through forest with a few more views, a bit more scenic than the segment prior to Michael Lake. Before Trail Creek intersects with the Waptus River Trail, there is a knee deep (I'm 5'7") ford of the Waptus River. There was a possible crossing log about 100' downstream but it looked a little sketchy so I didn't attempt it. After crossing I turned right on the Waptus River Trail. A mile down the WR trail there is a sign on the right saying bridge out, take the horse ford a little ways down the trail. So you end up crossing the Waptus River again at another knee deep ford. I made a few quick turns to connect to the Spinola Creek trail and thence to PCT (there are lots trails intersecting here with some signs, but it would be very confusing without a map). Took PCT north (right turn) to Deep Lake. This an extended ascent made less painful by the increasingly gorgeous views of the valley you are climbing out of. Several portions of the ascent are unshaded so I was really feeling the heat. At the top of the switchbacks there is a sweeeet campsite off to the right with an incredible view of the valley. No water access though. The trail mellows out from here to Deep Lake. Made camp at Deep Lake. Most of the camp sites and the toilet are on the west side. There was a group camped on the east side so there is at least one site there that looked like a great setup, but no toilet (and I understand from a previous trip report that there are a lot of poorly buried poop piles around it, ick). The toilet on the west side is a bit hard to find, but it is located up a hill to the west of the lake. If you scout around the camp trails you'll see a small "Toilet" sign propped up against the bottom of a stump. I had planned to double back on the PCT after making camp and take a side trip to Lake Vicente, but after 12 miles I again adjusted my expectations and decided to leave it for another day. My decision was validated when I chatted with a couple the next day who said the final push to Vicente is a fairly technical scramble--not something I'd want to tackle late in the day and tired.

Day 3: Got back on PCT north to Cathedral Pass. Steady ascent for 3 miles, but the long switchbacks take the bite out of the elevation gain. I dropped my pack at the side of the trail, and took a day pack for a side trip to Peggy's Pond. (I left a note on the pack so as not to alarm or confuse any passersby about an unattended pack on the trail.) I was nervous about the PP trail because I'd read it was fairly precarious. And looking at the face of Cathedral Rock (which the PP trail crosses) from Deep Lake way down below certainly made it look scary! It is precarious and involves some scrambling, but if you take your time and stay focused you should be fine. That said, although I saw people on PP will full backpacks, I would not have felt safe negotiating it with my own 30-lb pack. PP itself is another beautiful lake with several camping sites (for those more surefooted than I!) and a toilet. I returned to the PCT and took a 2nd side trip up the unsigned Deep Lake Ridge Trail (so named on Gaia GPS, and depicted but unnamed on Green Trails). This trail departs to the right of the PCT a few hundred yards down the trail from the PP trail. The Deer Lake Ridge Trail is another hidden gem! It meanders along the ridge for over a mile with mellow elevation changes and spectacular views on all sides. If you proceed far enough down the trail, then boom! all of a sudden Tacoma appears in all her majesty from behind the mountains to the west of the ridge. What an unexpected treat. The ridge has no official campsite but several places are suitable to pitch a tent. Water is bit iffy though, I saw only one very shallow pond. After having my lunch in the shade of a pine, I returned to PCT, picked up my pack, and started back to the trailhead. The Cathedral Rock/Pass (depending on which map you're using) trail splits off to the right of the PCT after a quarter mile or so. I passed by a beautiful unnamed lake on the left, followed the CR trail down an extended descent with views galore, and passed the lake called "Sq**w (because it's really a slur, this lake needs to be renamed) on the right. There is at least one camp site and a signed toilet trail branching off just past the lake on the right. From there I continued past the Trail Creek intersection I had taken two days before, and descended on the seemingly endless series of switchbacks to the TH.

Mosquitoes: Didn't bother me until I stopped moving, then showed more interest. They weren't too bad though, maybe because I treated my clothes and pack with Permethrin. I had a head net but didn't really need it.

It was a great trip, although Lakes Vicente and Terence remain on my bucket list.

Road into the trailhead is the washboard bumpy dirt ride that I remember, complete with creek crossing that I think went up a foot on the wheels, was happy to be in a high clearance vehicle.  Were a few open spots in each big area of parking on a Wednesday early afternoon. Hiked up to Marmot lake on Wednesday.  Did a side trip to Lake Clarice.  It is more of an alpine marsh than alpine lake, there were so many green plants growing in the lake that I didn't think it was worth the almost mile side trip off the trail to Marmot.  Marmot Lake was beautiful!  Trail was in very good condition on Deception pass to the intersection with the PCT, even saw some park rangers bringing lumbar up on horses to work the bridge by Little Hyas (although bridge did not seem in urgent need of work to me).  There were a number of blowdowns after intersection with PCT up to Marmot, nothing impassable but annoying as it got later and I got more tired.  Most of the wildflowers I saw were also above intersection of Deception pass and PCT and Marmot Lake, otherwise was mostly old growth forest.  Few patches of snow up near Marmot, and a few patches between Marmot and Jade, one that I walked around on the heather because it looked like it was melting out underneath and I didn't want to plunge through; nothing that needed microspikes or anything like that.  Only saw 2 other groups at Marmot.  Mosquitoes were bad until after dark and was glad to have my hat with bug net along. Although I had hiket up in a tank top and shorts it got a little chilly overnight being at 4900 feet and I was glad I had packed layers.  Thursday woke up early and did a "day hike" to No Name/Jade Lake; Jake lake was also absolutely gorgeous!  My trail description had said it was a mile to Jade lake, which it may be from the far edge of Marmot but was more like 2 miles from where I camped and was a 700 foot climb over the scree field.  Carions were pretty easy to follow and absolutely worth the side trip!  Decided to take the long way down and did 5 miles of the PCT between Cathedral Rock and Deception pass.  Also lots of blowdowns on that, even more than the trail to Marmot; I lost the trail at one point and wandered into someone's campsite, and was glad to have GPS on my phone to find my way back on the trail.  The higher big creek crossing on that part of the PCT was fine.  The lower one was a gushing torrent of water with a very small trunk to balance on.  My dog ended up getting swept up in the current, thank you to the PCT trail angel that happened to be crossing going the other way and jumped in to help my pup and then carried him to the other side; I never even got your name but you are my hero!  So that creek crossing was fine for a person, treking poles definitely helped balance on the skinny log crossing, but take care if you have a furry friend along.  The mosquitoes were also terrible after the lower big creek crossing and intersection with Cathedral Rock trail, I saw more than one person hiking with the mesh net on their face and in extra layers despite the heat just for the bug protection. Trail was in very good shape once I got off the PCT and onto Cathedral Rock trail.  Spent the 2nd night by Squaw Lake.  The mosquitoes were even worse here than at Marmot, but it was a very pretty spot to camp and lounged by lake in the morning enjoying the view.  Squad Lake was busier than Marmot, as one might expect closer to the trailhead, and also saw some trailworkers with all their tools in camp.  Only saw a few groups as I went down to the trailhead but parking lot was packed with cars lined up way down the road, as one might expect Friday early afternoon.  If I had it to do over I would do it as an in and out to Marmot and Jade Lake, the PCT had some nice views but it was too many miles in one day for me.

Started hiking around 8:30 and still plenty of spots at the trailhead. Only saw maybe a dozen other parties the whole day, and most were backpackers. We were the few day hikers. Stopped at Squaw Lake for a snack break on the way up, before continuing on up toward Cathedral Rock. Definitely continue going up to the ridge line once the trail meets up with the PCT for awesome 360 views of the area and Mt. Daniel. Took a swim in Squaw Lake on the way back down. Trail is in good shape, some blow downs but ran into Forest Service doing maintenance on the trail on our way back, so imagine those will be mostly taken care of. Trail is nicely shaded for a good portion of the trail.

Would recommend higher clearance vehicle as the road is long with some major potholes and one creek crossing (probably 30 inches deep max) though we did see a couple sedans and 1 AWD Tesla out on the roads.

Absolutely beautiful out there!

I camped down the road at Fish Lake Campground area so that I could get an earlier start. There were cars lined along the road for some ways before arriving at the Cathedral Rock TH parking lot at 8:30 am. These are almost all backpackers, so its worth a try to see if there are spots in the lot before parking along the road (there were a few spots closer open in the lot). Toilet was clean and had ample TP.

The first little water crossing right outside the parking area is running higher than last time I was here, but still able to get over in trail runners with dry feet. Trail is in good shape up to Squaw Lake, where I stopped for a break. Lots of people camping up there, most on their way out I suppose because it was quiet on the way back down. Berries are pretty much done at this elevation.

After Squaw Lake, the trail climbs gradually to the pass. The pass was covered in red from the blueberry leaves, but the berries were peak ripeness. It was hard to keep pace when I just wanted to stop and snack. I stopped at the pass junction with the PCT for a break and decided to continue on the PCT to the Peggy's Pond junction.

On the map, Peggy's Pond is a short 0.7 mile trail skirting Cathedral Rock. In practice, its a sketchy traverse across rock and roots. No room for passing so pay attention to see if anyone is coming towards you. Very pretty views, but had to keep my eyes down unless I stopped. There is a lost hiking pole stuck in a pile of rocks at a split in the trail, I took a right up the hill here. It gets steep once you're back in the forest, but its short. The lake is a deep teal blue and beautifully reflects the fall foliage. Spent some time wandering the trails before heading back.

There were two hikers ahead of me, and I passed one other person, and that was it for the remainder of the hike. When I got back to the parking area a bit after 4 pm, there was a Sawyer water filter attached to a smart water bottle left on the picnic table, may still be there. The lot had depleted substantially, and shout out to the women ahead of me who offered to fill my water bottles, knowing the drive out was long. I didn't need it, but it was an awesome gesture.

Bring poles, waterproof shoes/boots, sunglasses, extra socks, and maybe an ice axe. Sunscreen too! The trail is now covered in snow, so trailrunners won't cut it.

I set off at 9am and kept a measured but not rushed pace. The sky was clouded and the trail misty when I began, but it burned off moments before Cathedral Rock came into view. Cathedral Rock appears quite suddenly as you round a corner and is simply magnificent. I stood and gaped for a good 10s.

But the views only got better! After crossing over the PCT to the way to Peggy's Pond, Deep Lake painted itself onto the horizon beneath The Citadel and Mount Jerry Garcia, a deep, dark blue unlike that of the other bodies of water in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

I made it to Peggy's Pond after ~2.5h and took a short break to once more soak in the views of Cathedral Rock, which was doused in sunlight.

There are several boot paths from Peggy's Pond up the ridge toward Mount Daniel. Just know that you should head for a large boulder/outcropping to the NW. After reaching this landmark, follow the trail until a fork, then take the left (SW) direction. This path is much more heavily trodden and easier to follow, as I learned on my descent.

The snow starts rather soon. I did not expect so much, based on recent trip reports, but it did rain a ton last week! I was wearing my Hoka Speedgoats and had only my trekking poles (no ice axe). I quickly became grateful to the inventor of Gore-tex because I was punching through snow even on the boot path, which follows the ridge before dropping below the southeastern point beneath the eastern peak.

A few of the scrambles along the ridge become sketchy when wet, so take care. Crossing the snowfield beneath the southeastern point felt pretty safe with only poles; I initially lamented not having my ice axe, but the snow was so soft the only time I slipped was while making a snowman! You will walk through snow for hours, so bring appropriate footwear and a change of socks.

I considered going for the true summit, but stopped at the saddle before tackling the eastern summit instead. Ironically, there was not enough snow, so following the ridge from the eastern summit looked tedious, if not dangerous, as there was a ton of partly exposed rock that was undoubtedly slippery. The eastern peak was a good choice. There was not a cloud in the sky and I could see all major peaks except Mount St. Helens—Rainier, Adams, Glacier, Baker, Sloan, Stuart, Cashmere, and so on. I could not have asked for a better day to start the fall hiking season.

About 9.5h C2C with quite a few breaks, so under 8h of moving time. The Scatter Creek fording was fine in my Mini; the road is so washed out for the first few miles your car's suspension will weep.