First time hiking in this area and found it very much worth the trip even with terrible bugs at times.  I was concerned about this being a multi-use trail that is apparently very popular and with us backpacking Friday-Sunday the odds were high it would be crowded.  This was not the case.  Hiking into Upper Eagle Lake we passed one day hiker and a group of about 6 at the lake.  Got a great campsite and the bugs were an annoyance during the day, but very doable with bug spray.  This place is beautiful!  I can imagine how amazing it would be in the fall with the Larches everywhere.  A couple with horses came in the evening, but hardly noticed them.  Great spot to hammock as well.  As evening came, so did the bugs.  

Day two was SPECTACULAR!  We hiked up and over Horsehead pass, next to Boiling Lake, through some great meadows, and then up Angel's Staircase.  The trip up this side was amazing views the whole way.  We spent about an hour on the ridgetop as the view was too good to just pass through.  Passed our 2nd solo hiker of the day at this point, otherwise we were quite alone.  Then things started to decline - literally and figuratively.  The trail down from the top towards Cooney Lake is terrible.  We nicknamed it Devil's Elevator as it is steep with a lot of loose gravel that is very slippery.  Not great after 9 miles of hiking when the legs were pretty tired.  However, the lake was in sight and we were ready to relax.  We had read trip reports and talked to a hiker who stayed the night at Cooney:  the consensus was mosquitoes were bad, real bad.  We were able to confirm this.  A few groups at the lake in mosquito nets and as soon as we stopped we were swarmed.  Some of the worst mosquitoes I have experienced.  Quick decision was to carryon.  We traveled 2 more miles down the trail to the junction of Martin Lakes and found a nice campsite in the timber and the bugs were pretty tolerable.  We were pretty tired and decided to spend the night there.  Was a bit eerie looking up to several dead trees leaning precariously against other trees.  This was pretty common in this area of the hike.  

Day three hike out on Sunday was pretty smooth, but the trail was definitely busy.  On our way out we passed two sets of mountain bikers, two backpacking groups (one stayed at Martin Lake and reported really bad bugs), and a train of mules and horses.  Everyone was quite friendly, but definitely a lot more people than we had seen the previous two days.

All in all, our group of 4 agreed it was well worth it and had a great time enjoying the beauty of this area.

Road/TH:

Road up to the TH is pretty good at first but gets rougher higher up, not great by east side standards, pretty good by west side standards. Camped at the TH the night before. Lots of camping options and we didn't see anyone out due to it being sunday night/monday morning.

Martin Creek -> Switchback Mountain

Martin Creek trail is a pretty casual mellow grade all the way to cooney lake, about 8 miles & 3K vert. Took about 2 1/2 hours. The mosquitoes at cooney lake were AWFUL, couldn't even stop and enjoy the beauty without being swarmed so we began to move up switchback mountain. There's a trail up most of the way up switchback and its pretty easy to navigate so nothing much to say. Very pretty views and a friendly marmot on the summit. We signed the summit register and moved began on the ridge.

Switchback Mountain -> Mount Bigelow

Switchback to Martin is pretty simple and some boulder hopping but easy. Took us about 45 min to get to Martin. Once again gorgeous views and great views along the rest of our route. Martin to Bigelow is less straightforward, you drop down to the left and kinda bushwack before regaining a trail. Follow the trail for a little bit before heading back up a boulder field up to Bigelow. Not too hard to navigate especially with a gpx track, you'll see peaks that look like the summit but the actual summit is to the left. Great views over to Hoodoo Peak & Ravens Ridge, it did look pretty far away though... 

Mount Bigelow -> Hoodoo Peak -> Ravens Ridge

The traverse from bigelow to hoodoo through the forest was easily the worst part of the day. I went high and traversed the rocks (bad idea) I got into some sketchy downclimbs and slabs that were wet as it began to rain. Very buggy and just all around a not fun time. After traversing for a while you hit a gully and then begin to climb up that. It was around this time when we began to hear the thunder so we scurried to find a rock shelter. It was around 7,550 feet. We took shelter and waited for almost an hour before beginning to move because we thought the storm had passed (it hadn't). We climbed a couple hundred feet up before rushing back down as it began to hail and the lighting was very close. We ended up both falling asleep for about 2 hours as the storm officially passed and the skies cleared. 

The rock was wet & slick as we moved up and hit the col. From here you can see the way all the way to hoodoo (stay lower to the right). We made it up to summit of hoodoo around 7:20 pm and still had a long ridge over to ravens ridge. First section is pretty non technical but a lot of boulder hopping, nice to have free hands for some sections though. There is one section along the ridge that was the sketchiest, it was practically directly west of libby lake. Andrew stayed high, I dropped down and ended up with a sketchy downclimb a gully that wasn't fun at sunset. Then it was longer than expected but pretty flat to the true summit, its all the way at the end. 

Ravens Ridge -> TH

Pretty direct descent off of Ravens Ridge, boulders turning into some bushwacking but it was hard to tell as it was pitch black. Then a crusier couple miles back out but not super fun at 12 am and already being out for 19 hours.

Summary:
It ended up being one of my favorite days in the mountains with a couple parts sketchier than I would have liked (thunderstorm, climbing & descending ravens ridge in the dark, loose gully climbing as the sun set with 20+ mph gusts) but I will also love this day. I'd highly recommend having a gpx track it was very helpful, I'll link mine below. The traverse from Hoodoo to Ravens Ridge was definetly the sketchiest part so maybe descending to the lake is better if your less comfortable on rock. Also learn from me and pack that pair of rain pants and don't get caught in a hailstorm in only shorts.

Did an overnight backpacking trip starting from Crater Creek TH, looping to Cooney Lake via Eagles Lake Trail, Boiling Lake, Chelan Summit Trail, then up Angles Staircase and down to Cooney Lake. Day 2 looped to Sunrise Lake via Merchants Basin, and around Martin Creek Trail via summer blossom and Navarre Way Trail then connected back to Eagles Lake Trail to TH. Day 1: 14 miles / 4455ft gain. Day 2: 20.79 mi / 3,806ft gain. Total 34.79 miles.

TL;DR: The trail is in good shape and easy to follow. These are shared trails with stock, bikes and atv, so they keep things pretty well maintained. There are some snow patches going down to Cooney Lake that were a little steep. Cooney Lake camp was melted out and splendid. A bit of snow climbing out of Sunrise Lake to the ridge that required a bit of navigating as the trail was switching back and forth across a lingering snow field, so went around that instead. The mosquitos were HORRENDOUS at Sunrise Lake, also tons of trash. (a literally trash bag in a fire pit). Last note - the trail that spits off Summer Blossom down to Martin Creek barely exists, or I personally had a ton of trouble finding it. Perhaps a snow patch was covering it or blowdowns, but it eventually picked back up once you hit the bottom of the basin/meadow. Be prepared to climb over downed trees and navigate thru the forest for a mile or so. Not the worst, but trail was hard to follow consistently. 

Road/Parking:
Road was pretty well maintained, there were a few steeper section that were bumpy and I was happy to have my awd, but not necessary if you're going slow and being cautious. There's some small camp areas at the TH and a pit toilet here. Parking was nearly full when I arrived Friday night, but only 2 others when I got back Sunday around 5pm. 

Trail Conditions:
As mentioned above, the trail is shared with motorbikes, bikes, and stock, so it has been cleared and is wide and easy to follow. Very flowy and fun trails! The bridges are great and all intact. I got thunderstorms both afternoons, so the hike out was a little sloshy and muddy on Martin Creek, but nothing dangerously bad. The hiker only trails are a lot more narrow and steep, but the views are incredible. Snow patches remain on the descent down to Cooney Lake from the ridge, around Sunrise Lake and the climb up to the Ridge, as well as on the back side of the ridge coming down from Summer Blossom. Otherwise snow free, and not a ton, easy to navigate around. There is a burn section if you take Summer Blossom, but the trail is still pretty clear and distinct (so much that I missed my turn off Summer Blossom and kept walking). There's a vast variety of trails if you do the whole loop. Forested, exposed, rocky, meadows, pine, etc. As mentioned above the trail from Summer Blossom to the junction of Martin Creek/Foggy Dew/Merchants Basin is difficult to follow. There's lots of blowdowns and unclear where the trail beings. I was able to find little bits of it but then would quickly be thwarted by a patch of blowdowns, but eventually picks back up in a meadow. If all else fails, follow the stream down to the basin, and keep following the stream until you pick up the trail again. This was the only section that was bad, you could avoid and just take Merchants Basin and cut off the larger southern portion of the loop, and cut a good chunk of miles off.

Water Sources:
The water is flowing! Tons of snowmelt streams, creeks, etc. Plenty of places to collect water and of course, all the lakes. Most of the lakes you'll find flow down into a stream so if you're looking for flowing water just find the drainage point. 

Bugs/Animals:
Bugs weren't too bad surprisingly. A few here and there, but totally manageable. Exception was Sunrise Lake - SWARMS of mosquitos. I'm not exaggerating they were out of control along the lake. I wouldn't recommend camping here until the snow melts out more and the bugs die off, unless living amongst the bugs is your thing. Only saw 1 bear scurry off about 3 miles into the trail. Saw some tiny and fat Marmots, and plenty of chipmunks and squirrels. Had a bald eagle sighting as well. Saw deer tracks and poop, but no sightings. It was raining most of my trip, so perhaps there would be more animal activity in the sun - lots of these areas seem like bear heaven. 

Other:
When in the mountains, weather is a gamble. The forecast said sunny/partly cloudy for both days with no chance of rain, but had afternoon thunderstorms and showers both days. Got hailed on a bit, very tiny, but mostly rain, and thunder/lighting. I found myself on ridges and passes when the thunder would pick back up, so just be mindful if you can easily access lower trail if the weather turns, as a lot of the trail is exposed. 

This is supposedly called "golden lakes loop" because the larches are golden in the fall. I can image this would be a stunning fall hike, but was lush and gorgeous this time of year as well and would highly recommend, especially if you love a good alpine lake. 

Happy Trails!

Quick notes on the Golden Lakes Loop - 3 Days/2 Nights with summits of Switchback, Martin and Bigelow and visits to Cooney Lake, Boiling Lake and Upper Eagle Lake.

ROAD: to Crater Creek TH: Doable in my little Nissan Versa Note! There were a couple of bumpy/rocky spots but I just took it slow. The outhouse at the TH had no TP and was kinda stinky.

Since this was a shared use trail frequented by mountain bikes and motorcycles, the trails were all in good shape for the whole loop and generally gained elevation at a moderate grade with some steeper/rockier sections here and there. Everyone we were passed by was courteous and would let us know how many in their party were still coming along.

WATER: The trails were mostly dry - I think we had maybe one water crossing between the trailhead and Cooney Lake, and one water trickle between Boiling Lake and Hoodoo Pass. In general, I'd plan to fill up at the lakes.

LARCHES: were just past prime, still very pretty in faded gold, but many trees were half bare.

We began at the Crater Creek TH, hiked in past Cooney Lake, and summited Switchback on day 1. Switchback was a straightforward climb up from the pass from the Angel's Staircase above Cooney. From there, we followed the ridge north towards Martin hoping to find a bivy site, but didn't find anything great. We ended up dropping a little bit off the ridge before it steepened on the climb up towards Martin, and we set up camp at around 7850' in the flattest patch of rocks we could find.

The next morning, we packed up and headed up Martin Peak which was a quick climb from camp. From the summit, we headed a short way on the ridge towards Cheops but the terrain here was more rugged and scrambly and very slow-going with full packs, so we decided to bail off the ridge in interest of time and dropped northwest. This was a bit of a slow, loose and chossy descent that eventually turned into steep woods (carpets of larch needles can be slippery!), but we eventually made it down to the flatter meadow and picked up the (Wiebe Pass?) trail that led us to Boiling Lake where tons of tiny frogs frolicked.

We set up camp on the east side of Boiling Lake and headed out on the Hoodoo Pass trail with much lighter packs. We followed the trail all the way up to the pass. From the pass, we cut west up towards Bigelow, which was pretty smooth sailing to the summit except for a section of large boulders that we had to hop through, some of which were annoyingly wobbly. We enjoyed the summit for a while with views over Upper Eagle Lake.

We opted for a more direct descent route off of Bigelow, angling more southwest than our ascent. This route took us through more scree/looser terrain that actually went pretty easily on the descent (but probably would have been more annoying to climb).

On our final day, we climbed up to Horsehead Pass and then took a side trip to Upper Eagle Lake before heading back out the Eagle Lakes trail to complete our loop.

Backcountry toilets were available at all three lakes, with the one at Boiling Lake providing the most privacy. It seemed like Upper Eagle was the most busy backpacking destination out of the three lakes we visited.

This area truly is a wonderful larchland and is definitely popular for a reason in the fall!

Follow along on Instagram for more photos/videos: @thenomadicartist

Decided to get away mid-week and avoid the crowds that flood these trails during Larch season.  Decided to do 2 nights taking the loop counterclockwise with the first night at Upper Eagle Lake and the second at Cooney Lake.  Road was in good shape and I was pleasantly at the size and conditions in the parking area.  Only about a dozen cars when we arrived. 

Trail was in great condition heading to Upper Eagle Lake and no blowdowns thanks to the many that travel this trail.  Smoke still lingered in the valley, but far less than what was sitting near Wenatchee. Encountered a few day hikers and trail runners on the way up, but only one other party camping at Upper Eagle Lake with us.

The trail up to Horsehead pass was quick and easy as we leapfrogged with the other hiking party.  At the pass I recommend the short but steep side trip up to the point just North of the pass for even better 360-degree views with Mount Bigelow just to the North and Martin Peak to the South.

Overall, the Larch were fading from peak, particularly around Cooney Lake with slightly more vibrant colors around Eagle Lakes and along the Summit trail.  It was clear recent high winds had also taken more of the needles off as it was a carpet of yellow in places along the trail.   

The route up Angels Staircase and down to Cooney Lake was breathtaking with the views in all directions.  If extra time allowed, I would have liked to extend the loop and head out to Sunrise Lake via the Summit trail and returning from Merchants Basin.