Ran a big 'ole loop clockwise from Coldwater boat launch along the Lakes Trail, then back on the Boundary Trail and South Coldwater Trail.

Lakes Trail - easy going along the lakeshore, but brushy and overgrown (sometimes very brushy and overgrown) from the climb up to Snow Lake all the way to the junction with Boundary.  There are 2-3 washouts on the climb to Snow that were ok for us but would probably be sketchy with a heavy pack on (these are accurately documented in prior trip reports).  Good water sources and lots of huckleberries through here, especially between Snow Lake and Panhandle.

Boundary Trail - epic.  Huge in-your-face views of St. Helens and Spirit Lake.  More wildflowers and huckleberries, and lots of goats, especially near Margaret Camp.  But very, very dry in all the camps - our last water source was at Grizzly creek, so if you're approaching from South Coldwater plan on carrying what you need.

South Coldwater Trail - not much to note here, except that the South Coldwater TH is behind the gate (right at the Hummocks Trailhead), so there's about a mile and change of mandatory road walk to close the loop back to the boat launch.

Completed a loop around the Mt Margaret Backcountry this past weekend from Friday 8/1 - Sunday 8/3. There are a lot of reports highlighting how awesome the backcountry is so I will just include some info I hope is helpful for anyone making a trip soon as there wasn't much online and the ranger station also didn't have much info for me.

Day 1 Hummocks Trailhead to Margaret Camp - long day, lots of elevation gain and hot/exposed trail. Only water available during the day is at the junction with the Truman trail ~7 miles in and you have to hike down Truman trail for a few minutes to find the stream. It wasn't running super strong but there was plenty of water for filtering. Did not stop at Dome Camp along the way so I can't comment on water availability but an earlier report from last weekend mentioned water. Margaret Camp has plenty of water available from 3-4 snowfields melting nearby, water was super clean and ice cold and I think it will be steady for at least a couple more weeks (see photo). Dome and Margaret Camps are very close so even from Dome you could use this as a water supply if you don't mind the walking. Saw about 30 goats at Margaret Camp in the evening.

Day 2 Margaret Camp to Snow Lake - beautiful day start to finish. Incredible views from Margaret summit and along the boundary trail followed by beautiful alpine lakes on the back half of the day. Trail is quite overgrown in some sections between Bear Pass and Shovel Lake. Plenty of water available at Bear Camp and then every lake. Snow lake is stunning and perfect for an afternoon swim.

Day 3 Snow Lake to Coldwater Lake Trailhead - steady descent from Snow Lake down the valley to Coldwater. There are 2 washouts on this section mentioned by others, they require some attention but with caution you'll be through them quickly and on your way. Hike along the lakeshore back to the trailhead and then a short road walk to the Hummocks parking lot to complete the loop. 

Overall this is a great area if you can snag the right permits. I did hear from some other folks who camped at Ridge Camp that it was dry. Hope this info is helpful since the ranger station didn't have much to share. 

Hiked the extended loop from Coldwater lake. Started from Coldwater lake boat launch on Lakes trail, then up 230A to Ridge camp, back down to Lakes trail to Bear Pass, then Boundary and Coldwater trails back to the Lake. We did it in an easy 4 nights - camped at Ridge, then 2 nights at Obscurity lake, back to Ridge, then out Aug 3. 

As others have seen, the wildflowers and berries are off the charts - we gorged on some of the best huckleberries, thimbleberries, salmonberries, trailing blackberries, and strawberries I've ever seen in the backcountry. Every trail had one or more of these berries in abundance, depending on altitude and sun exposure.

The Lakes trail is way overgrown in many places, especially from Obscurity lake to Bear Pass, but to me the biggest concern was two steep, rocky washout ravines west of Snow lake. They both had tricky, slippery footing and the consequences of a fall would be extremely  serious. One more big spring washout, and one or both of these will be impassable. 

Water was plentiful along Lakes trail, with multiple stream crossings. Snow and Panhandle lakes are easy to access and all the lakes have amazingly clear water. (Panhandle lake was fabulous for swimming and fishing, too, though the fish are pretty tiny.) Water was running at Bear camp and at the snow patch just east of Margaret - these look like they'll run for another week or two. We found plentiful water by bushwacking 200 yards downhill from Margaret camp - this stream's snow patch looks like it'll run for a while. We saw no water sources between Margaret and the S Coldwater trailhead, though we didn't look around at Dome.

Two of our four nights had unpermitted campers in our permitted sites. This sucks! The permit system has its flaws, and I know rules are a bummer, but permits help protect the local ecology by keeping campsites localized, and they allow campers to find solitude in the backcountry. This place is an incredible gem, and I hate to say that it apparently needs more enforcement to keep it that way. Until that happens...don't be a jerk! Just get a permit.

Problems on 3 trails west from Norway Pass

Note: FR25 detour around bridge closure:

WA131 to FR23, to Cispus Rd past Cispus Center, to FR76 to

FR25 (which has construction with long delays Mon thru Thur!)

to FR99 to FR26 to Norway Pass TH

On reflection, the 26 road from near Ir

Boundary from Norway Pass TH toward Bear Campground would be a much faster, shorter access.

First mile up to Norway Pass has seen some work. After that it gets increasingly overgrown. At the rocky section where you used to have to leap across the gap, around half a mile past Norway Pass (46 18', 49.7" N, 122 06' 25.9" W), there is now a new hazard. The trail is very eroded and before you get to the rock ledge, you have to step way down to a small foothold. The soil is loose and there are no handholds. For my wife, a 5 foot woman, there was no way to get down without sliding and hoping that I wouldn't miss the step, or that it wouldn't crumble under my foot and send me down the chute. So we turned around. We're not too bold. I imagine others made it across... 

Independence Pass from Norway Pass

Next we decided to have lunch overlooking the beautiful view at Independence Pass and then continued on the trail to see how far we could get. The trail varies between open, narrow, eroded sections and places where the brush is so thick you can barely find the trail. It's obvious why this trail is closed (per our Green Trails map), although it's so scenic that it's a shame it can't be reopened.

Independence Ridge

Finally, we explored Independence Ridge. The first mile is great; brush clearing and tread work have been done. The trail becomes more narrow, and eventually is hard to follow. There is evidence of people searching for the trail, resulting in a braided trail network. When we reached a spot where tree boughs were growing over the trail, we turned back. Despite our trail mishaps, it was a beautiful day and we had some great views.

we didn't try the boundary east toward Ghost Lake

Kind of a major "why haven't I done this before" moment with the Mt. Margaret Backcountry this weekend. Ended up having a lovely 30mi and 7,500ft gain loop around the Mt. Margaret Backcountry via the Boundary Trail starting from Coldwater Lakes TH.

Big thanks to the previous trip reports for the route idea and the much needed trail maintenance this season. There's a lot to cover in such a small area so I'll break it down piece-by-piece. I've also attached an image of the map of the loop to the TR.

Dogs?

• WTA, AllTrails, and several other sources (including the Visitor Center) all say dogs are prohibited in the monument's restricted area
• I've heard mixed things, so I called in and was directed to an area map revised in 2022
• A lot of trail signage will still be mixed about dogs/no dogs
• Definitely still not allowed at the Observatory
• If I'm in the wrong on this, I apologize and I condemn myself to pickup 5 poop bags off Lake 22's trail

Coldwater Lake TH to Johnston Ridge Observatory

• Could've started this at Hummocks TH as well, but figured I'd get the road walk out of the way first
• Very pleasant and well graded trail up to the Observatory with straight in-your-face views of MSH
• Carry a lot of water - this section is extremely exposed and the nearest water even close to the trail is in 8 miles

Johnston Ridge Observatory to Bear Pass

• Ignoring my own advice above, I was running pretty low on water...but found a somewhat-dependable trickle of a creek just down the Truman Trail about 0.1 of a mile (around 8mi from Hummock TH)
• Otherwise, next dependable water is Grizzly Lake...but this time of year, I found water melting from snow patches and reserves from just before Mt. Margaret onwards (Bear Camp has a strong flow right now)
• I've eaten a lot of berries before, but the strawberries right after the Coldwater Peak turnoff might be the best berries I've ever had in my entire life (and they lasted for miles too)
• There's a bit of climbing here, but the trail is in excellent condition given that the road to it's main TH has been washed out for two years

Bear Pass to Snow Lake

• This section is a little rough - salmonberry bushes frequently topped out over me
• It wasn't horrendous, but the really overgrown sections between Bear Pass and Panhandle Lake really did cut down on speed
• I got a permit for Panhandle and it was lovely - quiet with a slight breeze, trout jumping, and almost no bugs?

Snow Lake to Coldwater Lake TH

• Still a bit brushy, but not nearly as bad as after Bear Pass
• Previous reports in July of this year mention some less-than-ideal snow traverses: pleased to say these are all gone now
  • The one up by the Shovel Lake turnoff is still there, but an easy shimmy up and around it
• The big unknown this section were the washouts as previous TRs had described
  • There were really two of note, only one of consequence (photo)
  • Most should be able to get around these...worst come to worst, could dig the steps deeper with a trowel or something
• Every single type of berry! Salmonberry, mountain & red huckleberry, strawberry, European blackberry, thimbleberries and likely more I didn't spot
• Trail conditions immediately improve just before the Coldwater Trail intersection

And if you're interested in the history of the area (specifically with the 1980 eruption), this Google map is a great resource to save offline. Has a lot of historic locations of places like Coldwater 2.