Bugs terrible at trailhead.  Mucho worse at Schaefer Lake!

Use the new horse ford and get your feet wet.  Don't bother with the log jam downriver to cross.  At this time the water was knee deep.  Someone has been doing some excellent trail work.  The trail has a vast majority of the logs sawed!  There are still some logs, but man, a lot of work was done, and I surely do appreciate the time!  Thank you!

Consistent with other reports, this trail is overgrown in many places with many fallen trees across the trail. It will immediately test your resolve with growth crowding the trail and a crossing across a log jam that is a bit ambiguous to its ending. Once you have overcome the log jam and decided that you're fully committed to completing the trail, it starts a steep ascent to the alpine lake. You will continue to be tested with frequent though not terribly difficult obstacles in the way of fallen trees.

My intent was to reach a higher elevation in hopes of seeing some spring kings, and I managed to find one very old specimen before the trail started climbing. As I reached the lake, I realized the preferred companion trees of this mushroom were not present at this elevation (and my exhaustion significantly reduced my interest), but I resolved to complete the hike since I had come all this way. The lake was pretty but confirmed that, for me personally, remote alpine lakes are inadequate incentives to endure difficult hikes such as thus one. I more-or-less ran back down the mountain shortly after reaching Shaefer Lake.

Besides the one mushroom of interest I found and (I guess) the lake, the coolest part of this trail was the strong presence of Pacific Yew. This trail had the most specimens of Pacific Yew I have seen since learning to look for it on my hikes.

Overall, if you're willing to deal with a steep trail littered with frequent inconveniences and enjoy alpine lakes more than I do, then have at it.

The trail to Schaefer Lake was quite steep, a little brushy, full of downed trees, but totally worth the effort! Right away, the easiest way across the creek is not entirely obvious. Upon reaching the beach, walk left and look for some blue flagging. There will be a huge log jam with multiple way across which leads to a brushy trail into the woods. From there, get your high step on and start hopping over logs of all sizes. The tread is starting to erode on a few steep sections so watch your step! Schaefer Lake itself is a wonderful alpine lake with very little public disturbance. Only a few campsites exist around the lake so make sure to camp on durable surfaces. If the mood strikes you (and the 2700' wasn't enough) hiking up to D Lake is highly recommended. Make sure to bring a map and find your way to the saddle which grants access to the lake.

Bugs: moderate bugs in the evening which went away with the cold front in the morning
Flowers: there were some alpine blooms near D Lake
Water Access: there were multiple streams along the 4.3 mile trail Lake Conditions: both Schaefer and D lakes were snow free and prime for swimming

This was a challenging hike on a trail in dire need of some bushwhacking and blowdown clearing, but the payoff was a gorgeous alpine lake and a lot of quiet. We saw a mountain goat, a snowshoe hare, and only one brief human sighting at the lake. 

A previous report mentioned a missing footbridge. I'm not sure what they're talking about. To my knowledge, the Chiwawa River was only ever crossed on this trail by either the horse ford or the log jam. The log crossing was not too difficult for the sure-footed. As others have noted, the lowland portion is very overgrown. You have to keep your eyes on the trail at your feet and having a buddy with you is a good idea. In about 20 minutes, however, you're out of the bush and beginning a gradual ascent through a lovely, shaded forest. 

As the trail climbs above the valley, the views open up to Basalt Peak, Garland Peak, Rampart Mountain, and more beyond whose names I do not know. After crossing the bridge over Schaefer Creek, things get more steep for a while, but before you know it, you've arrived at the pond before the lake. Including time for snack breaks, it took my buddy and I about 4.5 hours.

As for the previously mentioned blowdowns, most were easily passable, just kind of annoying. Some were more difficult and required either climbing over or crawling underneath. 

Aside from a couple mosquitos, bugs really weren't an issue at all, which we were grateful for.

The lake was beautiful, peaceful, and not too cold for a brief opportunistic skinny-dip. 

We camped one night and with the temperature somewhere in the forties it wasn't too cold, but climbing out of my cozy sleeping bag in the morning was an effort. 

Overall, I loved this trip. The big descent back to the valley left me sore for a couple days, but I'll heal up, and I'll keep that in mind before I do another 3,000+ gain hike "off the couch."

I counted 130 trees across the trail. Most are small enough to step over but about a dozen must be crawled over or under. At least one spot requires a detour to get around fallen trees. The foot bridge is gone so a balancing act is required across a log jamb. I recommend water shoes at the horse ford instead. After fording the river, the initial portion of the trail on the flood plain is so overgrown that it is difficult to follow. See photo attached.