Deer Lake — Saturday, May. 13, 2023

I found a way to beat the heat by finding a bunch of snow up at Deer Lake! Despite all of the snow, the trail is easily navigable without route finding/GPS. The last mile of the trail is covered with soft and slushy snow, and is up to a couple feet deep in places. No need for micro spikes, but do recommend some waterproof boots as my feet got wet even though I had them. In multiple places there is a lot of water on trail, as well as several small streams to ford. I saw less than a dozen hikers after I passed Sol Duc Falls (the main attraction of the area, and where this trail starts). I had the Lake to myself for a bit and continued along main path until previous travelers' footsteps ended. It didn’t appear that anyone had gone past Deer Lake and up towards Seven Lakes Basin recently. I’ve been to Deer Lake 4 times now, and I’ve never seen a Deer. Whoever named the Lake is a liar.