Mineral Creek — Sunday, Jul. 31, 2022

We took a large family group including middle and high school children on a three night backpacking trip.  We hiked up the Mineral Creek Trail and camped at Upper Park Lake for three nights.  We were so grateful for the work of the WTA trail crew!  The first four miles of trail were well-maintained - cleared of brush, good tread, etc.   The last mile and a half of the trail was harder but manageable (some blow downs, brushy).   As we came out on August 3, we saw another WTA trail crew headed in.  They were planning to finish that last mile and a half of trail to upper Park Lake in the coming week and a half, so if you are reading this trail report any time after August 12, 2022, you can expect the trail all the way to Park Lake to be a good, well-maintained trail.  Thanks, WTA!

Plenty of camping at Upper Park Lake.   Bugs were bad morning and evening, but not a big concern during the day.   Best swimming was off the wooded campsite right next to the lake.   This camp is about a half mile off the PCT.  

We did two day hikes on the PCT.   One day, we hiked to Spectacle Lake, and had a delightful afternoon swimming and resting at this beautiful alpine lake.   The next day, we hiked Chikamin Ridge and enjoyed the spectacular views.  All trails were snow free and in good condition.  Bugs were not a big concern during the day in either place, especially in breezy spots.