[Anne Elk]

[Hiking addict]

[Randito]

[BigBrunyon]

[Chief Joseph]

Not sure if you really care about crowds or if you are going to hike on a weekend, but another option is to hit both Ashland-Twin falls lakes and then Boardman, which is a short hike, then continue off trail to Island lake, it's not far from Boardman but takes a bit of route finding and you will not likely see another person on that trail. There is a report here somewhere or PM for more specific directions.

[Hiking addict]

Yeah, Heather Lake and 22 are pretty crowded, I think the scramble to Island Lake would be snow-covered, although I have done scrambling before mostly looking for Abandoned Mines. The road to Ashland Lakes is pretty bad, 4wd is necessary.

[Chief Joseph]

Yes, it's a brutal road, but I made it in my Toyo Celica, you just have to go really slow and it's pushing the limit. We went to Island lake in early June a few years ago and there was no snow on the trail, some at the lake and the lake was mostly melted. You could go to Monte Cristo or Perry Creek falls. If you are really into mines you could check out the Bonanza Queen, although there is a pretty deep creek crossing and it's for sure not easy. When we went last year the route was mostly flagged. It goes into the mountain about 1k' and then splits two ways.

[Hiking addict]

I might do Annette Lake and Granite Lakes in one day.

[neek]

Annette Lake is an incredibly boring hike, not worth it unless you hit a few peaks back there. Abiel, Silver, and Tinkham are very nice, if you can handle a little bit of scrambling, and some steep snow. Here's my WTA report for these peaks in early June (they'll be snowier this year) although I came from the Cold Creek trail just east of the Annette Lake trail. If you do Granite Lakes, recommend also taking the road up to Thompson Point, or continuing on to Thompson Lake and maybe Mount Defiance.

[Hiking addict]

I love the first photo of the bright blue ice over the Tarns is very nice! Thanks for the tip about Annette Lake, I've never been to that area much, besides driving through.

[solohiker]

I get why you asked about Talapus/Ollalie; they come close to fitting into your requested drive-time specs, while most suggestions are well beyond 2 hrs. Talapus is also low elevation enough you can find a mostly snow-free campsite, although it is likely to be muddy and buggy. Looking only at a map it seems logical. It’s just not the best hike to represent your one and only Cascade experience. But with your timing the best cascade options that aren’t under snow are way east of the crest making them much longer drives. I like Talapus/Ollalie/Island for a day hike when I don’t want to drive far in the summer. Especially on a hot day since your in deep woods most of the way. But that’s exactly what makes it not the best choice as a hike to represent the Cascades. It’s all in the woods and you have no Cascade vistas. Add to that the fact that Ollalie Lk sites will probably still be snow covered in June, and Island lake certainly will. Island lake can be tricky to find in the snow if you haven’t been there before. I guess there are a few questions you have to ask yourself. 1) are you willing to drive to the east side to get a Cascade experience, 2) if not are you ok with a hike totally in forest and a muddy buggy campsite, 3) do you really just want one last camp before you move away that could be in the Olympics instead. Ozette Lake and the Ocean make a great shoulder season backpack trip - but that’s in the Olympics. Chelan Lakeshore trail is usually good in early June but it’s a long long drive. Some of the other suggestions (on this thread) that are longer drives are good too - but some will also be covered in snow in early June. I think some posters weren’t looking at your timeline.

[Hiking addict]

I really do want to do something in the Cascades because I've done so much in the Olympics that if I were to hike a hike I've never done before there I would have to drive just as far as the Western Cascades and I haven't done anything there. I will think about those other options.

[Kim Brown]

The issue is that June 7th is a too early to get far down most mountain roads and trail conditions might not be ideal (rotten snow, slush). Check WTA's site for stuff like Dirty Harry's Balcony (not the best representative of the Cascades, but it's get-toable and doable), maybe Pratt Mtn. both off I-90. Ck their site to see if anyone is doing anything in the Salmon Le Sac area.

[Hiking addict]

What about Si/Teneriffe Loop with the Kamikaze Trail? I know Si is really busy, but we would be at the trailhead in the early am hours.

[Cyclopath]

It's ok to hike crowded trails, other hikers won't hurt you. But Si is not a great trail.