[Backpacker Joe]

Jed Sires of the High-lakers and I met at the end of the North Fork of the Snoqualmie River road. We parked Jeds truck at the unofficial Paradise lakes parking lot and then drove my Jeep to the Bare Mtn trail. We left at 0730. We started walking the old road and then met up with the trail, the trail is over grown but regularly used as an access to Bare moutain. At the point the trail makes its first switch back left up to Bare mountain you keep hiking straight into even more over grown brush. The trail climbs and takes you into the woods and some old mining camps. Find the talus that's North East of the camps and climb up to the right most mine and tailings. To the right of the mine entrance is a climbing trail to Bear lake 1. We then hiked up to middle Bear and Upper Bear lakes. Both very small lakes. After that we hiked up the northern saddle above Bear lake and decended to the Middle Paradise lake. The route is steep and long. Once at the lake Jed fished and caught cut throat and Rainbow trout while I took pictures and eat lunch. We then rounded the lake counter clockwise and slowly climbed up to Upper Paradise (Bench) lake. Jed caught some cutthroat here as well. We decended to Lower Paradise. Jed did not fish this lake as we were intent on getting down off the mountain. Id been in here twice in the '90's and I remember a very good defined trail from the logging road to the lake. Not anymore! The trail is at least 50+% gone!!! It was very difficult following it down the mountain. Only because I remembered being here in the past was I able find our way down. Once in the valley there was some newer flagging that helped lead us to the newer clear cut area prior to the end of the road. This area is flagged until the middle of the clear cut when it simply stops. At that point follow a North Westerly route through the brush back to the road. Anyone interested in this area best get in there soon! This trail is going to be totally gone very soon and its a brush beast without a trail. Stats: 4000+ vertical feet and 8+ miles. Pics.

Bear lake looking South

Lower Bear facing North

Bear lake looking north

Middle Bear lake

Upper bear lake

Paradise from saddle above Bear

Lower Paradise

Upper Paradise from oulet

Bench lake

Garbage on the trail to paradise

[Type E]

How was the intial brush after leaving the Bare Mt. Trail? That was my intended destination last week until the rains hit. Last time through there the route was still fairly easy to follow. Was the garden hose still on the fisherman's trail to Paradise Lakes?

[Backpacker Joe]

[Zukismom]

Other than the "garbage" photo...your pictures are just beautiful of the lakes. Why on earth would anyone dump that much garbage way up there?

[R11]

Good photos of what looks like a nice spot BPJ. But is it just me, or am I seeing a lot of pics lately that seem very unnaturally color saturated? ron

[Backpacker Joe]

[Backpacker Joe]

[polarbear]

Nice report and photos BPJ!

[Highwalker's Daughter]

pretty lakes - shame about all that trash

[Zukismom]

Yes it is a shame...and either the Tribal leaders or the Forest Service should get that stuff hauled out of there. I mean..come on...40 + years?? Shoot...fly in another chopper and haul the stuff out of there. Do they think the Chippymonkey's are going to eat it up? I simply do not understand littering at all----period. However, THIS...is just unconscionable.

[Backpacker Joe]

Zukis, supposedly this was an illegal mining operation sometime in the late 70's or early 80's. Nobody is going to go up there and remove that stuff! It is my opinion that with the level of use that trail gets it will be gone all together in a year or three......

[Slugman]

I'll bet it was an expensive camera that took those pictures. And a skilled operator of such.

[Backpacker Joe]

Well yes on the expensive camera part Sluggo. thanks.

[Slugman]

You can see every dollar you spent in those photos. And stop being so modest!

[VirgoHiker]

Very nice photos, as usual!