We had a rare weekend off and found ourselves planning a trip to the Necklace Valley off of Stevens Pass. The Necklace Valley is an incredible valley of alpine lakes that’s been on my list for some time now. It’s no easy task getting there. The hike is 9 miles to the first lake, with most of the elevation gain happening in the last 5 miles. Because of the big winter we had, the trail was quite wet in places from river runoff. There was even running water through parts of it, making for some difficult tread! Not surprisingly, this place is a popular spot. We struggled a bit to find a campsite at first, but eventually found some social trails leading up to a little perch overlooking Lockett Lake. The number of lakes you can explore in this area is mind-blowing, and it really fits the bill of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I highly recommend backpacking Necklace Valley if you have a few days to explore and definitely at least one night to camp! You can check out the description and trail details at Washington Trails Association.