After a rough enough road on the way up to the trailhead, we decided to park at the Coal Lake spot to use the pit toilet and avoid the last stretch of road. It is only 0.3 mile to the Independence/North trailhead, and as it turned out, that last stretch of road was not too bad. (There is no bathroom up above if that is important to you) We had a high-ish clearance AWD but did see smaller vehicles that made it up.

We were on the trail a little after 9am which was great for avoiding the beating sun in the places where it comes through on this trail. Ran into two families with 3 kids each who braved an overnight outing. Everyone seemed happy enough and this is a nice one to try since it is so close to the parking lot. Independence lake is a truly brilliant blue green and very quiet and peaceful. Past the lake, on the steep uphill slope, there were lots of wild flowers including tiger lily, columbine, yellow aster, penstemon, those white ones (queen anne's lace or cow parsley-ish) and more. One very large tree blocking a chunk of trail, but boot path has been established. Need to pay attention and go left around the blow down to stay on trail. There were 4-5 more down that required going over or around, but they were minimal in comparison. Enjoyed a hazy but clear sky view all around from the ridgeline above North Lake. Smoke is starting to creep into the skyline - wish we could get some rain. After some discussion, we opted not to go down to N. Lake. You can see it from the ridge line and it looks nice enough. Other descriptions say it is a rocky, rugged trip down (guide says 700ft). I have been to the ridge line at least 1/2 dozen times and have never gone down to N Lake - maybe next time and I say that EVERY time!

Trip out was easy and quick with a swim stop at Independence where we had the lake to ourselves at lunchtime. This hike checks a lot of boxes!

I was part of a 6 person team who came out for 4 days/3 nights to do some repair work on the trail up to Independence Lake. Our monumental project was to build a small rock structure to support the trail where it's been suffering a lot of erosion. Multiple other projects to get organic material off the trail from some fallen trees, removing a few trip hazards, improving drainiage and getting a few logs off the trail. We moved a lot of material to accomplish these goals and hope you find the trail in good condition on your next hike.

The hike is not terribly long, just over a mile to the end of Independence lake where the larger camping area is with a pit toilet. There are sections that are nice and flat and a few locations that are steep but for maybe 10 steps. Our hike in took a little over 30 min carrying our fully burdened packs. 

Once you reach the lake you will have to cross a few logs to continue to the farther camping area. As you can see in our group photo those logs are neatly  placed to make your crossing not so daunting.  This spot is also great for collecting water. It has less "junk" in it as compared to the other end of the lake. Once you leave the log crossing a few more short climbs and then you descend down into the grassy area on the way to the larger camping area. 

It's a beautiful location and you can day or overnight this one easily. Things to bring on your summer hikes, BUG NETS, bug deterrents and your arsenal of bug bite remedies. I visited this location in late May when there was still snow and there were no bugs then but with a large pool of standing water and a marshy shoreline, it's just ripe for bugs. 

The trail was busiest on Saturday and if you can visit on a weekday you may be the only car in the parking area. The parking area is smaller and does not have a bathroom, the last bathroom is at the Coal Lake parking area about 1/4 mile before. The road up to the trailhead, is narrow in a lot of locations with blind turns so please approach all turns with additional caution.  

Nice, moderate trail with a big payoff at the gorgeous, teal Independence Lake. Fairly rough road to get up there, with lots of great vistas. We parked at Coal Lake, walked up the road to the Independence Lake. Swam at the far side (bring water shoes) and had lunch while we dried in the sun. Didn’t go up to North Lake, it’s steeper than we felt like doing, but I another hiker said it’s gorgeous and you can sometimes see mountain goats.

We made it down to the shore of North lake over the weekend. Very secluded, we had North lake all to ourselves the entire time we were down there and only saw other hikers again on our way out. 

After cresting the top and starting the descent to North lake, multiple hikers passed us on their return, declaring that they could not find the trail, or that the trail was otherwise "gone." Some trail finding skills will be helpful, but I certainly don't consider myself an expert.

The initial difficulty navigating the trail is due to snow cover, but it is relatively clear after the small snowfield at the top. Trekking poles were a necessity and traction spikes were helpful but you can probably get by without them. From the snowfield you can see the cut where the trail continues on, so try not to go blindly off the snowfield in the wrong direction. There should be some tracks in the snow you can follow now. 

After the snowfield, the trail is very much there and navigable, as it's well cut into the ground. There is some overgrowth on the trail you'll have to push through, and plenty of bugs to contend with. Bug spray was a must.

There is some more snow on the trail at points on the way down, but you can skirt around the edges. Recommend you avoid walking over the snow at these points. There is water running underneath carving out the snow, and from the right angles you can see where punching through the snow would sink your entire leg. 

The trail is a little less well defined going down the rocks, so it's helpful to pay attention to where things are more worn down than others. Patience is helpful, there wasn't any point we found ourselves unsure where to go that we couldn't clearly see the trail after looking about a little.