Started around 7am Friday morning from Crater Creek Trailhead, with a handful of cars in the parking lot, we passed a few folks (backpackers & day runners). The first day is always the longest & heaviest, taking the loop clockwise, the trail was clear & well maintained all the way to Cooney Lake, no snow or obstacles on the trail. We took our time and arrived at Cooney to camp at around 3pm, but boy were the mosquitoes a nuisance! It had us questioning if we really enjoy the outdoors - hundreds of them with their faces pressed against the mesh of our tent as we huddled inside to eat dinner.
We started up towards Angel's Staircase around 9:30am to let the snow soften a bit for the ascent - a steep staircase it was! Luckily pretty short-lived, offering great views. You can already see the wildfire smoke come in from Canada, so it was a little hazy. This is the only portion of the 22 mile loop that has snow remaining, and may even be gone by the time you read this. Enjoyed a nice snack of pickles & jerky at the summit, and then it's all descent from there. The change in landscape is spectacular throughout this leg of the trip - so soak it all in. Plenty of butterflies, marmots, and wildflowers throughout.
After you pass a few alpine meadows, there are about 3-4 trees that have fallen on the trail, they are difficult to climb over, especially with a pack, so you may opt to go around. Other than that, the trails are well maintained! Thanks to the trail riders in the area - I heard they have special racks for their dirtbikes to hold chainsaws - love that. We passed another couple on the way, they had mentioned the bugs were way better on "this side" of the ridge aka the Boiling Lake side. Our original plan was Eagle Lake for night #2, but decided to take their advice and what a difference it made! The bugs were nothing like Cooney Lake and we even opted to have a swim! It was much more enjoyable. There is a burn ban in place - that didn't stop our neighbors from having a fire - so keep an eye out.
The ascent in the morning was pretty mellow for our sore legs, and once you reach the saddle it's smooth sailing from there, no obstacles on the trail - just more people using the trail. As we passed by the small unnamed lake just below Upper Eagle Lake, the main camping area is "Under Restoration" so Eagle Lake may be your only option on this side of Horsehead Pass. Made it back to the car with plenty of time to catch some burgers in Methow & enjoy golden hour over highway 20.
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