Surprise & Glacier Lakes

Trip Date: 8/16/14
Start: Trailhead
Turn-around: Glacier Lake
Mileage: 10?
Time: 8 hours

Trail is in good shape overall. A few muddy spots and one bit of blow-down but both are easily bypassed. The lower part of the trail goes through very pretty forest before passing along the edges of several talus slopes. The steepest part of the trail is at about 3 miles in and takes you up to the hanging valley that holds Surprise lake. It was quite buggy today. Weather was cloudy and humid. No rain but plenty of water vapor in the air.

At Surprise lake we got off on the wrong path to Glacier Lake because just beyond the signpost for Glacier Lake was a rope across what appeared the path and a "Closed for Re-vegetation" sign. There is a crude path that follows the west shore of Surprise lake before it peters out in the boulder field at the head of the lake. Louise and Jacque went swimming in Surprise Lake.

Turns out the trail to Glacier Lake veers sharply to the left at the "Closed for Re-veg" sign, which we figured out after a brief detour around the lake. The trail follows the ridge that is just west of Surprise Lake a short half mile up to Glacier lake, which the trail parallels. Several unofficial paths lead towards the lake and camps. Found an illegal campfire ring, which I dispersed. There were several groups of kids and adults camped at Glacier Lake. The sun tried to come out but without much success, so after lunch by the lake we hiked back down, still in the clouds, reaching the cars about 5pm.