Great backpacking trip to Hyas Lake for a long weekend. First time to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area and could not have asked for a better trip. Got to the trailhead at 3pm on a Friday, left at around 1pm on Sunday.
Road to trailhead is long and potholed, but we made it just fine in an Outback. Creek crossing (Scatter Creek?) looked sketchier than it was, probably four inches deep in the middle.
At the trailhead, the parking lot was full but we found a spot without difficulty. Bugs were not bad at the trailhead. At the permit box there was a not about a juvenile black bear from a few days before, but we didn't see any sign of bear our whole trip.
Up the trail a ways, the mosquitoes started up. They weren't nearly as heavy as I expected, and picardin worked well. We escaped with a dozen or so bites each for the weekend.
We were a couple weeks too early for berries – August looks like it'll be an incredible berry season though. The bushes are thick with blossoms and buds.
There were several creek crossings on the trail, but none of them were very deep. Past Hyas Lake heading towards Deception Pass they were slightly larger but still manageable without wading.
Once at the lake, campsites were large and plentiful. A couple were already occupied, and we walked to Little Hyas Lake to scope out all the options. We picked a site in the center of Hyas Lake, and had a whole stretch of beach to ourselves. There were tons of hikers, trailrunners, and campers heading deeper into the wilderness, but the lake was still private and quiet, incredibly relaxing.
Fishing was superb, and I caught two good-sized Brook trout. Very tasty, and full of bug exoskeletons – happy fish make good eating.
Overall, an excellent trip for newbies, a great place to relax, good for testing gear and outsmarting trout.
