We are mostly sedentary, 45-50 years old, relatively unhealthy, and live at about 700 ft elevation. It took us 11 hours to ice lake, island lake, and back. We struggled to breathe a lot but found the inclines and the hikes to be pretty easy. The entire hike had always rewarded us with amazing views, and we got two lakes for the price of one. It took us only 20 minutes to island lake from ice lake (go right and cross a stream). There was a constant threat of storms, but we weren't turning around. There were campers at ice lake and island lake. I'm afraid of heights, and I was scared once on the ice lake trail and twice on the island lake trail...nothing too bad though. We saw many wildflowers going to ice lake and many marmots going to island lake. There were places to use the bathroom along the trail, at ice lake (behind boulders), and island lake (boulders). The park and trails are well maintained. Trekking poles were helpful.
Finding the trail head from the parking lot was easy. There was plenty of parking at 9:30 am. People parked around the perimeter of the parking lot and the side of the road. There was a restroom in the parking lot. The trail is obvious, although not always marked. There are tons of people that hike it at all hours. Side trails are 2 ft wide. The main trail is 4 ft wide. Tips: bring water, snacks, rain gear, trekking poles, a light. Also, travel light. In conclusion, we handled ice lakes well probably due to having adjusted to the altitude, using oxygen canisters, inhalers, and traveling with light day packs. We weren't that sore afterward either. We were just tired. Also, There are no pages in the trail register. We saw people hiking even around dark though. We are from Texas and we're hot the entire time. The creek crossings weren't bad enough to need water shoes unless it's raining. The water is ice cold. You must do island lake. If you can't camp at South Mineral then stay in Silverton. read more