AllTrails: Route

Trailhead Coordinates:

47.877759, -123.137114

Know Before You Go:

• Purchase your pass/day-use fee before arriving- while the majority of this trail travels through the national park, the parking lot is on National Forest land so you don’t need to pay the full entrance fee for the park, just the National Forest day use fee.

• The dirt road to the trailhead is long and filled with potholes - smaller cars may be able to reach the trailhead but proceed at your own risk.

• There is an overflow parking area just before you reach the main parking lot with the bathroom. Please note: In the late summer months hornets can be a problem in the parking areas.

• This trail can be extremely buggy!! Bring DEET but also prepare to get a lot of bites.

• This is a popular spot for backpacking and if you want to stay overnight you’ll need to make a reservation to camp at the lake in advance here. If you’re unable to get a reservation there is the option to camp on the national forest land around the trailhead or along the trail before you reach the national park boundary which is clearly signed.

• Make sure to hike all the way to the Upper Basin past Royal Lake, the views are phenomenal.

• The Upper Basin tarn is at its milkiest during the late spring and early summer when the glacier run-off is still high.

• Bears are not uncommon in the area, if you are camping be sure to bring a bear canister.