South Coldwater, Coldwater Peak, Coldwater Lake Loop

[Natmospheric]

We hiked up to Coldwater Peak from Coldwater Lake on July 16. We parked at the Coldwater Lake Trailhead and did the road-walk to the South Coldwater Trailhead to start. From there, we took the South Coldwater Trail to the junction with the Coldwater Trail. The South Coldwater Trail is in good shape, with several sections of great wildflower displays. The Coldwater Trail to the Boundary Trail has some overgrown spots, especially in the first half. As pdxalex mentioned in this post from a couple weeks ago (viewtopic.php?p=226222#p226222), there are some eroded, sketchy spots on the Coldwater Trail. The trickiest are a few sections close to the junction with the Boundary Trail, but there are a few spots throughout that might give some pause (including me), while others might be more comfortable. We proceeded from the Boundary Trail junction to the Coldwater Peak Trail and then on to the summit. We weren't able to enjoy a break at the top due to a huge swarm of some kind of insect. They didn't seem to bite or sting, but it was overwhelming. This was only an issue at the top. We turned around quickly and enjoyed a break instead at a bench on the Coldwater Peak Trail, which had spectacular views of Mount Rainier and Spirit Lake. Continuing down, we retraced our steps up to the junction of the Coldwater and South Coldwater Trails. Here, we continued on the Coldwater Trail to the Lakes Trail and ended the hike along Coldwater Lake back to the Coldwater Lake Trailhead. The lower part of the Coldwater Trail was in decent shape, but brushy. The Lakes Trail was in excellent shape and was filled with flowers. No snow anywhere on the route. Total distance was just under 19 miles.

Some photos mostly from the Boundary and Coldwater Peak Trails: