As far as the trail (Lake Ann via Esmeralda Basin) goes, it was in good condition, nearly ideal for a trail like this.  Quite a few small creek crossings, but nothing at all difficult.  By far the biggest hazards were the mountain goat up toward the middle of Lake Ann Trail who didn't seem shy, but didn't bother us, and the steeper, loose rock sections of that same trail.  The section of the trail down to the lake is just about as steep as I'm willing to do just on my feet with a backpack.  I would recommend trekking poles if only for this section especially if you are carrying enough to stay the night.  The small amount (100 ft of trail?) of snow you need to cross on your way to/from the lake is safe and easy right now.  I did not use the microspikes I brought along and did not feel at risk of slipping. 

There were 3 other couples that camped Sat night at/near the lake that I am aware of.  All were nice, respectful of personal space/privacy and quiet when it mattered.  We thought we might be alone, but the trailhead was packed so I'm not surprised others showed up at Lake Ann.

As far as wildlife at the lake, there is a mountain goat who is not very afraid of people, but will flee if you clap/yell at him if he gets too close to comfort. Plenty of marmots!  I heard Pika but didn't see them.  No biting bugs except very few mosquitos around sunset for about an hour.  Not enough to bother with spray though.

We started the hike from the Esmeralda Basin Trail, shared with Lake Ingalls trail. The trail up to Lake Ann was in great shape and snow free. The variety of flowers, along the way, were amazing today with more Columbine and Shooting Stars than I have seen before. The flowers really were everywhere along the trail. The hike gets steeper and rockier as you head up towards Lake Ann.  About halfway to Lake Ann we passed another hiker who made it to the overlook but couldn't see the lake. Our timing was better as we made it to the overlook the lake was fogged in but shortly after it cleared up and we decided to head down to the lake for lunch. The trail down to the lake is pretty steep but there was no snow until the very end and on a fairly flat section, so no traction was required.  After a nice lunch at the lake, we headed back to the saddle. We were happy to see a mountain goat near the saddle and were able to get a couple pictures of him before heading to Fortune Creek Pass.  

As we approach the pass, we decided we would do the entire Esmeralda Peak Loop Trail. It's a long way around the loop but it was a great trail to hike.  We wanted to do the South Esmeralda Peak Trail after the jeep road, but never found the turnoff to it, so we continued on the DeRoux trail.. After getting home and checking some different maps, it appears that the Gaia trail may have had an early turnoff and the trail may actually cut back across the river, well maybe next time.  From the DeRoux Trail we went around Gallagher Head lake to the DeRoux trailhead and connected with the North Fork Teanaway Trail which took us back to the Esmeralda Basin parking lot. On the North Fork Teanaway Trail, we did run into a section of the trail that had some deep water and we followed a boot path to go around that, which was a mistake because we ended up getting into other boggy ground which was probably worse than just going through the water on the trail. 

All in all, a great hiking day with nice weather and amazing flowers and views.

Gaia had it at 15.2 and 3212 of ascent.

It snowed! We had taken the day off long ago, so we were going to do an overnight trip rain or shine. We didn't expect to be snowed on though! I'm sure it all melted off within the next day or two. 

The road and trail are in great shape, and it only took us about 3 hours to reach the lake. There's only one small snowfield on the descent to Lake Ann, and certainly no traction is required. Be sure to check out the natural spring alongside the trail, just before the pass is reached. At the pass, the snow was starting to fall, but not hard. By the time we woke up the next morning, the tent was surrounded by fresh beautiful snow. 

On Friday when we started, there were ten cars in the lot, but only two other groups on the trail to Lake Ann. When we arrived back to the lot on Saturday morning, only two other cars were there. I'm sure this number will jump up as the sun starts to come out in Washington. It was a beautiful hike, but pack a warm jacket just in case! 

Leaving from the shared trail head I have always turned right for Lake Ingalls at the first fork, but on this trip we stayed straight to explore the trail up to Esmeralda Basin and Lake Ann.  Lake Ingalls is for sure the star of the show here but Esmeralda, as the name suggests, is a gem in its own right.

The forest road is in decent shape some mild wash-boarding and a few sections with gotcha potholes to watch out for.  With all the left fork right fork business in the directions, best to study a map before you set off so you are not backing up trying to figure out if you took the correct road, ask me how I know.  Main lot was pretty much full at 10:00 when we arrived (on this federal holiday), and same when when we left, so we took the first road side spot - no biggie lots of space there.  Out house clean but no supplies, wanted poster for Travis Decker in the permits box, which now has a pen.  It's a long way up the Teanaway valley to the start of your hike so extra snacks and drink will for sure make your day go better.

The first trail section is mostly clinker rock - consider it a homage to the miners' track it once was.  After the Ingalls turn off there are still multiple rocky sections, but eventually those ease a bit as you make your way up the basin.  The water course crossings are fun, each one is a mini flower garden so pause and enjoy.  I did get out my poles for the first "bigger" one which is quite wide with snow melt, but everyone kept their feet dry.  There was only just enough shade here to keep the climb comfortable on a not that hot day, so I would not like to hike here mid summer.  I enjoyed the lazy switch backs in the mile before the Lake Ann turn off as the views to the peaks really started to open up.  At the Lake Ann junction it's a good idea to mentally switch gears.  You are now above 5000 feet and that makes climbing that much harder.  The tread which up to now had been rough, but manageable, also deteriorates to a rock fest.  With the exception of the middle breather break in the heather meadow, where you will still find a couple of snow patches, it's now all about the grind.  For a finale the trail steepens again right before you attain the pass, which nicely accentuates the grand reveal reward of turquoise blue Lake Ann, nestled on the shoulder of Ingalls peak, and the wide panorama of a who's who of the Alpine Lakes wilderness mountains.  You have to know it's all worth it.  We explored the pass area and decided that lunch on the ridge, with the breeze and view (no bugs), was a better option than dropping down to the lake.  Lots of evidence of goats, but no sightings.  The view across the valley is immense and with the range of peaks at the edge you really feel you can fully understand the meaning of wilderness.  After the climb the late lunch tasted great and we were in no hurry to start back down.

Returning was all about enjoying the views across to Esmeralda Peak with special guest appearance by Mount Rainier.  We stopped to say hi to renowned trip reporter "Maddy" and family.  Always fun to meet other WTA contributors IRL, and I appreciate their contributions.  The Lake Ann trail down does demand your attention and poles were very helpful.  So take your time and enjoy all the creek side flowers gardens again.  So many different flower species and some I have not seen before, plus a Western Tanager - like a Christmas decoration in the trees.

A great time of year to hike here, but with 8 plus miles and 2000+ feet of gain on some challenging tread a little extra preparation will go along way to making this trail enjoyable.

Another perfect June day in Teanaway. We picked our son up at SeaTac this morning so got a late start. At 12:30 the parking lot was almost full but most were headed for Ingalls lake.

The trail pretty rocky in places due to erosion from summer horse use. Fortunately no horses have been on the trail this year.

Many varieties of flowers are in bloom now all along the way. 

The trail is snow free to th pass. You have to traverse a few hundred feet of easy snow patches on the decent down to the lake.

We tried circumnavigating the lake but turned around when we encountered steep snow fields and we weren't carrying microspikes.

Only saw about 10 other hikers. Also had the pleasure of meeting Hikeswith3 on the trail!

10.6 mi, 2600 ft