Glad to see Coal Lake road back open after several years of closures due to multiple slides across the road. There are actually 4 mountain lakes on this road. Coal, Indepence, North, and Pass lakes are all accessible from the parking lot nearby or at the end of the road about a 1/4 mile away. Beautiful spots all around. Saw a lot of fish jumping in Coal Lake as I was placing this right about dusk. NW Forest Pass is required at the trailhead.
Just a basic cache at a beautiful high mountain lake. Walk is about 200yds from parking.
The Mountain Loop Highway closes each winter near Deer Creek, making this inaccessible during the winter. wta.org and https://www.fs.usda.gov/mbs are great resources to learn when the roads close and reopen each year. Road 4060, Coal Lake
There are 2 others on the trail up to Independence and North lakes. The road up is potholed, but very passable in most vehicles if you are careful.
Enjoy the views, the lakes, the quiet, and maybe the fishing.
Congrats to sth2878 and Isaac FTF!