With water sitting at both the trailhead and the objective, the hike from Holland Lake into Necklace Lakes is perfect for days as scorched as this summer’s have been.
From the East Holland Trailhead in Swan Valley, hikers set off on trail 415. The path climbs gently through thick woods for a mile before trail 42 jumps up to the left.
Some hikers may wish to continue past 42, a trail with an intense 3,000 vertical-foot climb over 4 miles. They can follow trail 35, which has much less elevation gain. 35 follows Holland Creek for 3 miles and hooks under Upper Holland Lake before heading another 3 miles northwest past Sapphire Lake.
Both those trails reconnect after 42 summits a peak along the Swan Range that overlooks Holland Lake on one side and the wilderness’s vast mountains and deep valleys on the other.
Once the trails meet, the path turns northeast and crosses the wilderness boundary.
It meanders about a mile before reaching the southwestern tip of the Necklace Lakes. There are a handful of campsites around the first lake’s edge, and more if hikers wish to continue along trail 120.