Road: do-able for all vehicles

Trail: incline all the way up. Took about 70 minutes for me to hike up to Mason Lake (3.5mi)

Lake: very swimmable! Perfect temperature for swimming even in September!

Parking & Privy: Plenty of parking. Pay station available if you do not have NW Forest Pass. Privy very clean!

Maybe you will find a prize...I lost a diamond earring while having lunch at the lake. We were sitting in the second section when you enter straight. 

Other than the lost earring, it was a beautiful day with fog and sprinkles for a few minutes. We took our time, stopped at the bridge and a few other places. Not many hikers. 

There is one big bump as the road transitions from paved to dirt. Other than that, the road is in good shape. 

If you should find the earring, I'm jas@tranceka.com. 

Unpaved Forest Service road to the trailhead is mostly suitable for all vehicles, with sections of potholes and washboards. If yours is 2WD or not a high clearance car, go slow and be cautious where the pavement ends, which comes quickly (speed limit 50mph) with a big gap or hole. Depending on the lighting, it is very hard to see the end of paved part and the hole.

Arrived at trailhead at 9:30am on Labor Day with a cooler and sunny forecast. The lot was full and I was one of the first few cars that spilled over onto the forest service road.

Solar-powered fee station is available at the trailhead.

The privy at the trailhead is maintained well and TP well stocked.

Passed a dozen parties - overnight backpackers, day hikers, and trail runners on the way to the lake, and several on the way down.

Fall colors have started - vine maples, huckleberry, and flowering currant - as you hit the tree line. Some remaining Indian Paintblush added pop of bright orange-red on the ground. Nearing the lake, you see ripe huckleberries still around. At lower elevation in the woods, you see salal full of berries.

Pikas were calling each other in the taluses, and I spotted a few. There was one carrying a brunch with green leaves among the rocks on the lake shore.

On the way back down, I witnessed a falling rock, about a foot wide. I could not tell if it was a human-triggered incidence or a natural fall, but it was nerve-wracking as it bounced down a few switch-backs with noises as it hit other rocks. Thank goodness no hikers were hurt. It was the stretch above the tree line, after the trail sign that marks the split for Mason Lake and Bandera Mountain.

We hiked on a cool Labor Day morning. Trailhead parking about half full when we arrived at 8am. We went to Mason Lake, Sir Richard pond and Rainbow Lake. Gaia shows 9.1 miles and 2770 gain. These stats don't explain how steep, rocky, rooty and difficult this trail can be. TH to Mason Lake is not too bad. Had to watch our steps in places. After Mason Lake the trail does steep ups and downs. Topo maps and Gaia just don't indicate how steep and rough the trail is. Berries near Sir Richard pond and Rainbow Lake are wonderful!

Hiked the P3-Defiance-Mason Lake loop via the ridge.

Trail to P3 gets steep after a while and previous trip reports are pretty accurate about it. Only weird thing was at some point my Gaia gps sort of disagreed with the P3 trail for a bit. I was thinking to follow the actual trail than gps as it seemed pretty well traveled. Then I met a group also and followed them for a bit and crossed the boulders which I remembered from last time I was on P3. Then gps was on track after that.

P3 to defiance - Stay on the top of ridge. There is a boot path most of the way until you merge with the Mount Defiance trail. I had to scramble tad bit here and there on the open ridge. When you hit the tree line from open ridge, boot path is still easy to follow. About 0.1 mile from junction to Defiance trail, boot path gets faint and starts to climb up a bit. Don't resist the climb and eventually you will see the actual trail.

Rest of the trip to Defiance, Mason Lake and back to trailhead was straight forward.