Took my dog up to Thomas Lake. The trailhead BARELY had any room for my car it was PACKED with vehicles. I was initially planning on hiking into Blue Lake but I was told by some people who were coming down the trail that everyone went past Thomas Lake (about a ¼ mile in) to Blue Lake. So I opted to stay at Thomas Lake. Hardly any bugs, would have been a really tranquil experience but a couple families with very young kids came up after I did and the screaming began. LoL it's ok I hope they had a good time! Love Indian Heavens Wilderness and it's still my favorite area for backpacking!

Arrived Thomas Lake TH 10:10am, Sat. morning. Temp about 68-70 degrees. Overcast skies very hazy with very light smoke from fires burning North and East of me. Goat Rocks/Packwood region. Parking lot already crammed to capacity with cars. About 20 more vehicles parked on road. A pass is required. This a very pleasant loop you can do which will yield about 10.3-10.5 miles with a good deal of variety. (canopy, light forest, meadows, lakes, etc.) I would rate it Moderate with regard to difficulty.

Before starting out, I did ask others returning if there were bugs and all said "no bugs" which is a relief. I've always wanted to see the Indian Heaven area. Proceeded east on Thomas lake trail for 1.9 miles. Turned north (left) at an intersecting trail proceeding toward Elk Lake trail. Not sure of the name of it. May have been called the Old Crest Trail). At 1.8 miles you reach an intersecting trail. (Elk Lake trail) Turn to your right east, and go maybe 350 feet up hill to intersect with the Pacific Crest Trail. Turn South (right) and in about 1.0 miles you'll reach Junction Lake. Good place to grab a bite. You are about 5 miles in.

Continue on the PCT south/southwest for about 2 miles skirting the old extinct volcano called East Crater. You will reach Blue Lake. There are a lot of small lakes up in Indian Heaven. Most are named, some without names. Turn north/northwest on Trail #211 and travel about a mile or a bit more passing some small lakes. At the next intersection turn left again at the Thomas Lake trail (eastward) back to your vehicle. About 1.9 miles again.

There were a ton of Huckleberries available in this area and in a few other areas. You also pass through a burned out forested area, which for some reason has it's own kind of beauty. This hike takes about 4.5 hours depending on how long you like your lunch break. (20 minutes or so for me)

Great hike! Well maintained trail except for one section with heavy ruts on the Old Crest Trail. (I think it's called)

This report is for a hike that started at the Thomas Lake trailhead and ended at Bear Lake. WTA doesn't list this route (but AllTrails does), so I'm using the closest listing. Four of us arrived at the trailhead about 8:30 on a Friday. There were still some parking spots in the lot, and the toilet was in good shape. We hiked to the junction with the Blue Lake Trail, encountering some mosquitoes when we would stop. At the intersection, we took the decommissioned trail to Bear Lake. The trail alternated between meadows and forest. The forest sections were quite brushy. There was one place we took a wrong turn but it wasn't long before we realized we should have stayed left. The worst part of the trail was going up the ridge before the lake. There were many downed trees that we had to go around or over. Once we reached the top, we found a nice  campsite that was plenty big for our four tents and was just a short walk to the lake. We set up camp, then went swimming! With the wind, the mosquitoes weren't bad. We found it difficult to find a tree for hanging a bear bag because most of the branches were short and slanted down or were too high. We found one eventually, but it wasn't very far out from the trunk. After dinner, I hiked to Elk Lake over quite a few downed trees, but they weren't too hard to get over. I liked the rocky shore, but Bear Lake was prettier. There was a nice campsite there a little above the lake. Mist started blowing in on the way back, and once we settled in for the night, the wind was gusting and it started raining. In the morning, the group decided to pack up while it wasn't raining and hike out. We took the PCT to Junction Lake, then a trail that cut across to Rock Lake and back to the Thomas Lake Trail. It was a little tricky crossing the wobbly rocks in Rock Lake, but we all made it without falling. When we returned, the lot was full, and there were many vehicles parked on the road. And it hadn't rained there! I found it extremely difficult to find an accurate weather report for Indian Heaven. Only one of the many I consulted said it would rain. 

Buggy with some blowdowns, all manageable. Patches of snow will be gone after this heat wave. Looped around on Pacific Crest Trail. Would have liked to take a dip in Blue Lake but the bugs were on us as soon as we stopped. 

Trail muddy/filled with water most of the way between Rock Lake and Blue Lake