Mom (mid-60's) and I (mid-40's) stayed overnight at Ipsut Creek Campground for Mother's Day weekend. This is a great hike for novice backpackers and first-of-season gear check hikes: long distance, low elevation change, mostly broad trail, a few fun to navigate spots, lots of optional moderate-difficulty extras (Green Lake, Carbon Glacier, Ipsut Pass), and beautiful views! The trail is used by hikers, bicyclists, and trail runners, and we met a few different group of friendly & helpful rangers.
Took us ~2 hours from trailhead to campground, taking our time with overnight backpacks.
Ipsut Creek Campground makes for a great base of operations for day hikes. We enjoyed the large campsites with lots of tree privacy, bear boxes, and functional covered toilet (bring your own TP - none was left when we arrived). Trails are well marked and snow free. Lots of options for filtering fresh water; the best are Ipsut Falls and Ipsut Creek (the water you cross right before you enter the campground). I'd avoid Carbon River for water refills, as the milky glacier deposits will mess with your filter. Bugs weren't too bad, but remember to put some distance between your tent and your stove- don't give the big black flies any reason to check out your tent!
Ipsut Falls is well worth the short hike. Carbon Glacier is inaccessible via "normal" trail hiking, as each approach has significant tree fall blocking the trails. You can choose to dodge and weave the treefall, or leave the trail (especially along the dry parts of the riverbed), and you can also skip the glacier and head to Mowich Lake or Green Lake instead.
Finally, a special shout-out to my mom for completing her first overnight backpacking trip! Way back in the day - before the road washed out- we would car camp at Ipsut Creek; it was neat coming back as backpackers. She managed all her own gear, kept pace, took smart breaks for rest and hydration, and was smiling and chatty the entire time. Happy Mother's Day!
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