While we had aimed for a backpack site in Cow Creek Meadows, the heat of the weekend led us to pivot plans.  We backpacked into Myrtle Lake on Friday, and set up camp at the south side of the lake, taking care to avoid camping under hazard trees as much as possible.  We chose the south side camps over the newly created north side camps as they had a bit more shade and less time under the glare of the sun.  Overall, there are beaver in Myrtle Lake and the beaver dam at the lake outlet is causing the lake level to rise.  A wonderful WTA crew was leaving after a five day stint the day we arrived, and they did significant work to create new trails and campsites at both the north and south camps.  
For our lay day, we went up to Cow Creek Meadows and above, as much as snow and heat allowed.  We encountered snow patches at a bit over 5000’, and they generally persisted until we climbed above the meadow basin.  Just before finally arriving at the junction between the main trail that continues upwards and the spur that leads to the meadows, there is a creek crossing that requires fording, and is less than knee deep and quite cold.  A few of us found a sizable log upstream to cross on, but it requires some brushy travel to get to.  Either way, the meadows and surrounding cliffs are stunning!  
Above the meadows, the trail has not been maintained, but there are only a couple of burnt logs down that require going around.  I turned around at 5900’, but the sturdy hikers in our party got up to 6800’, having found lots of snow up there.  
Overall, the area is gorgeous.  The only daunting part was how much burnt forest there is up the Entiat, but otherwise lovely views, wildflowers, and not that many people.  

I was part of a WTA Back Country Response Team (BCRT) that worked several trails feeding into Myrtle Lake, Cow Creek Meadow and the Larch Lakes basin.

Our group of 13 (joined by Entiat USFS Ranger Sam for the last 2d) logged out the Cow Creek Trail (1404) up to the creek draining the meadows (about 5100 feet, where snow and the fast-flowing creek halted further progress), and the Larch Lakes Trail (1430) up to lower Larch Lake (about 5700 ft) where snow again halted further progress. We also logged the Larch Lakes Spur Trail (1430A); crossing Cow Creek and Larch Lakes Creek requires two little-bit-nervy 30 foot single log highwires or a less-nervy butt-scootch. We also went up-river to brush out the lower 1 mile of the Emerald Park Trail (1230), up to about 4800 ft. This work built on prior WTA Pro teams' work in logging out this trail leading to Milham Pass.

We basecamped for four nights at the north end of Myrtle Lake, where the intrepid beavers had added to their dam of the outlet, raising the lake level another few feet to flood out last year's campsites. This caused us to resort to digging in several more rudimentary tent platforms amidst the trees recently downed by a USFS crew. We brushed the camp area to make it more serviceable and reduce hazards. We also made headway in clearing dead trees around the camp at the south end of Myrtle Lake - where still-standing dead trees remain a hazard.

The Entiat River Trail had been mostly cleared before our arrival. Altogether we cleared about 7.5 miles of trail: the 3.5 miles from the Entiat River to Cow Creek Meadow + 0.7 mi Larch Lakes Connector + the 2 mi of Larch Lakes Trail from the connector to lower Larch Lake + 1 mi of Emerald Park Trail, as well as the trail to the south Myrtle Lake sites. We took out over 100 trees fallen across these trails.

Conditions were varied: we had frost our first 2 mornings and 90 °F our last 2 afternoons, with rain last Wednesday night. Flying bugs were a non-issue, but most everyone encountered a tick or three. Water was in fairly good supply at the lower elevations - from the Myrtle drainage, crossing Cow Creek and Larch Lakes Creek - but more difficult to access higher up until you reach Cow Creek meadow and lower Larch Lake drainages.

This was my 4th BCRT. The group's spirit was again amazing, as was the leadership team of Crew Lead Melissa and her 4 Assistants. This team did a great job in ensuring we all kept safe, had fun, and got spit done. I encourage anyone with an interest in using these wonderful trails to try joining a BCRT: its a wonderful feeling to be able to give back to those who've managed these trails before us, as well as an opportunity to explore some new areas (and even scout out trail for future trips!). Given recent cuts to USFS funding, there will remain considerable need for volunteer efforts like WTA BCRTs to keep our trails open.

Parked at the Entiat River Trailhead around 9:45am Saturday morning, about a dozen cars in the lot and a sign that volunteer workers were on the trail. Didn't see them but none the less, many thanks!

Got up to Myrtle, lower Myrtle camp appears under water as the lake is high, there are a few very small and kinda rough tent sites. Went to upper Myrtle and setup camp. Watched a gartner snake catch a brook trout, that was awesome. 

Top of the little ridge to the east, above the toilet, has some nice sandy flat camp spots as well.

Went up towards Cow Meadows. Made it about a half mile short of the meadow, around 4800ft the snow patches became a full layer snow, soft, and getting above the ankles. Wont be long until it melts out.

The air was misty with a gentle drizzle as I rolled into the Entiat River Trailhead around noon on Friday. Only two other cars dotted the lot, giving the place a peaceful, secluded vibe. I pulled up the weather report and weighed my options: push ahead with my plan to camp at Upper Larch Lake, knowing I’d get a little soggy but could enjoy a long, lazy morning by the lakes? Or grab a dry campsite at Cottonwood Campground and make a long day hike tomorrow? The thought of quiet, rainy solitude won out—I was sticking to the plan.

Geared up in my rain jacket, I headed up the trail. I passed two other groups on their way out, but otherwise, I had the trail to myself. There were a few logs to step over, but nothing that slowed me down.

After about four miles, I veered off the Entiat River Trail and made a quick detour to Myrtle Lake for a lunch break. From there, I began the climb toward Cow Meadows, where I spotted my first golden larch, glowing through the mist like a promise of adventure. The trail remained in good shape, though the rain had picked up. Soon enough, as I climbed higher, the drizzle turned to fresh snow—soft, powdery, and just a few inches deep. No need for traction devices, just a peaceful, snow-dusted trek up the Garland Peak Trail.

I couldn’t help but worry that my campsite would be buried under snow, but when I finally reached the ridge and peered down at the lakes, I was thrilled—no snow in sight! There was one tricky part where the trail seemed to vanish near a gnarled tree, but after a little searching, I found the way forward and continued down the ridge. Snow turned to slush, then rain again, as I descended toward the lakes.

After scouting out a few spots, I found the perfect campsite nestled in a larch grove, just a few steps from the shore. By this point, I was pretty cold and soaked, but I quickly threw on some insulation and got my camp set up just before dusk, as the wind began to howl. I grabbed water from the lake, retreated to my tent, and dried off. Dinner never tasted so good, and I spent the evening cozy in my sleeping bag, listening to an audiobook while the wind whipped around my tent. By 11 p.m., the worst of the storm had passed, and the night was calm and uneventful.

Saturday morning greeted me with clear skies and brilliant sunshine. There was a light frost on my rain fly, but it melted quickly in the sun. I spent the morning leisurely sipping coffee, drying out my wet gear, and wandering around the lakes, marveling at the golden larches. It was a blissful, slow start to the day, and by the time I packed up around noon, everything was dry and ready to go.

On my way out, I took the trail down by Lower Larch Lake, passing a few groups making their way in. I opted to ford the river, which was only mid-calf deep—no big deal. There’s a hiker’s trail that peels off and leads to the lovely bridge at Myrtle Lake if you want to avoid the ford, but the water was so low this late in the season that I decided to wade across.

The last stretch along the Entiat River Trail was easy and quick, thanks to some trail angels who had cleared the blowdowns earlier that morning. When I reached the trailhead, nine cars were now in the lot—much busier than when I arrived. But despite the rain and snow, I’d had the lakes all to myself. A little wet, sure, but absolutely worth it.

Summary: With my trusty Golden Retriever, I squeezed a fun, challenging shoulder-season 4 night lollipop-ish route thru the Entiat. We hiked past Myrtle Lake and Cow Creek Meadow, camped amidst Larch Lakes, crossed Pomas Pass into the Ice Creek drainage and then went up to Lower Ice Lake. Weather was mostly great, trails in good condition - but not without challenges in terrain and route-finding. We had the trails to ourselves: passed a family of 3 heading out as we came in, at about 3 mi from the trailhead. At about the same spot heading out, we passed a solo hiker heading in. That's it!

Water was never a problem, bugs were nonexistent. We encountered over a dozen trees across the trail on our first day - most of which had been cleared by our hike out. After that 1st day, trail obstacles were few. Thanks to the USFS and WTA BCRTs for fine work on clearing trail.

I’d been wanting to explore the Entiat for several years. Got my first taste of its beauty while working a WTA BCRT in '23 and another in ’24, and wanted a chance to explore and discover it on my own. This seemed a perfect opportunity.

Day 1 we hiked up the Entiat River Trail, took the left to go past beautiful Myrtle Lake and continued up past Cow Creek Meadows to the Garland Peak Trail, continuing down to camp on the west side of Upper Larch Lake. Apart from the windfalls in the first 4 miles, the upper stretches of Cow Creek Trail remained mostly clear as was Garland Peak Trail. Larch Lake is gorgeous – but the big climb followed by the descent to the lake left me and my legs cooked! I made us dinner and we crashed early.

Day 2 we woke to a planned "lag day" where we'd explore the Larch basin; I wanted to get another look at the falls draining Lower Larch. But that drainage wasn't flowing as well as it was in my June visit (with all the snow-melt assist). We returned to camp for lunch and shelter - anticipating a forecast of "heavy rain" and "strong" 10-12 mph winds, and wanting to be near shelter. The wind started as forecast at about 3p, the rain following shortly after – but it never amounted to much more than a modest rain. The wind, OTOH, got to howling. Based on comparison to the Beaufort scale I estimate windspeed closer to 30-35 mph, which continued thru the afternoon, evening and all night, until subsiding by about 10a on Day 3. The overnight winds several times flattened the low end of my tent; each time it flexed back. So impressed with modern tent designs: I grew up in Boy Scouts using US Army shelter halves, which never would have survived the night!

Day 3: once the wind died, we broke camp, packing up and continuing north on the Garland Peak Trail to a clear junction with the Larch Lakes Trail, turning left (uphill), destination Pomas Pass. The climb up to 6900’ was uneventful; the climb DOWN to Pomas Pass was, for much of the way, a steep sidehill - some of it, not for the faint-of-heart. The Pass itself offered pretty views in both directions. I’d read a recent USFS report indicating the trail had been cleared between the Pass and Ice Creek Trail, and can confirm this to be the case. There were a few windfalls to clamber over, some brushy spots, a few rock fields thru which the route was not overly evident, but all passable. Shortly after re-entering the burn zone at about 5600 ft, I did lose the trail - I missed the turn - where the trail turns downhill from the sidehill (the way obstructed by a large downfall). There’s a nice camp at the bottom of Pomas Creek Trail just before emerging to the junction with Ice Cr Tr. We turned west on Ice Cr Tr for 1.5 mi to a nice camp on the east side of the creek.

Day 4: we got out early with dayhike gear and made quick work reaching the camp at the base of the trail up to Ice Lakes; there was some gorgeous forest walking along the way. From that camp, the trail stayed just west of the route shown in USFS maps, mostly in a drainage gully - closer to what’s shown in OpenStreetMaps. The going gets pretty steep, and then steepens a few times more until reaching the Lower Ice Lake basin. The view is spectacular. We saw the first people we’d seen since Day 1 - with fishing poles on the other side of the lake. After a too-brief stop, I felt that given our schedule constraints, we had to ignore some great advice to proceed to the Upper Lake, and instead turn back to camp. The descent proved particularly challenging to my faithful canine companion, who expressed hesitancy in taking a few of the 3’ straight-down-steps required to make progress. Our negotiations were ultimately successful, we reached the camp at the upper end of the valley, and then proceeded back to our cached gear on the E side of the creek. We packed up the rest of our gear and continued east; after crossing the Entiat on a nearby log, camped at the dusty horse camp at the junction of Ice Creek Tr with the Entiat River trail.

Day 5 we hiked out to the car; most / all of this hike is thru the burn zone. The burned out carcasses of trees lost to the fires is offset by the impressive new growth as the forest slowly returns to a sense of health. That health evidently has a long ways to go, but its coming. Along the way we spoke to our 1st human since Monday, a fellow solo hiker, about 3 miles before the trailhead. Back to the car we packed up, wiped down and headed home.