I almost didn't get this shot! We drove up there from the ocean to camp over night and photograph the vine maples (best native fall color in the Pacific Northwest) and found the campground on Clear Lake was closed for the season. I'd been here before and knew what photo I wanted. Ah Heck! Go for it. The gate was a couple miles from the spot on the trail and was well worth the hike. We eventually found a place to camp, but the hike in there had us running pretty late on a short fall day.