The roar of the highway is unmistakable when starting up this track, but soon the beauty of the winter wilderness surrounding the trail makes everything else fade into the background. The dark green firs and hemlocks lining the ridge, the open, quilted meadows of snow, and the wide avenue of the trail make this a perfect destination for snowshoers.
The trail leads to a pair of small alpine ponds nestled in a deep cirque on the flank of towering Kendall Peak (5,675 feet). The mountain dominates the skyline from the lake's basin, as well as along the last mile of the trail leading into the basin. But Kendall isn't the only peak on the horizon. To the east is Alta Mountain and the long line of Rampart Ridge. To the south is the peak used as the Snoqualmie Summit Ski Area--a low broad peak lined with the wide white slashes of alpine ski runs. Below the lakes, the broad meadows along the bottom of the Gold Creek valley glimmer a brilliant white in the afternoon sun. Although the trail ascends nearly 2000 feet, the climbing is gradual and the trail is easy to follow. Because of that, first-time ‘shoers and young kids will enjoy this outing as much as experienced snowshoe enthusiasts. Of course, all of those features coupled with the trail's close proximity to the Seattle metropolitan area means a lot of snowshoers and skiers on any winter weekend. Strap on the snowshoes midweek, though, and the trail will be virtually deserted.

Snowshoe up the Gold Creek valley, staying close to the left (west) side of the valley, and in a few hundred yards, find an old logging road climbing left into the trees and up the valley wall. This road is steep for 0.25 mile, and then the ascent moderates considerably. The road enters an old clearcut just past the 0.5-mile mark and twists and turns its way up the slope. You can either stay with the moderate pitch of the road or take a steeper, more direct, northerly approach straight up the slope, cutting off the switchback corners. Pause often to rest. Use the excuse of stopping to admire the increasingly pretty views south over the Gold Creek basin, Hyak Ski Area, and Mount Catherine if you are the competitive sort who doesn't like to admit to fatigue!

At 1.7 miles, the route hooks through a sharp hairpin turn to the right. A wide spur road heads off to the left, leading to a nice overlook of the lower Coal Creek basin and the ski areas at Snoqualmie Pass. Stay right if you are bound for the lakes. The road traverses east toward the snout of a narrow ridge and, at that leading edge of the ridge, turns north and climbs steeply through forest and meadow. The track stays on the west side of the ridge crest, banking right at 2.6 miles, and at 3.5 miles hooking sharply south in a switchback turn.

Stay north, snowshoeing off the road near the apex of the hairpin corner, climbing through mostly open slopes to the ridge crest leading to Kendall Lakes. The trail nears Coal Creek at 4.2 miles and follows it the remainder of the way to the lakes' basin, rolling over two small knolls before reaching the lower of the twin Kendall Lakes. Avoid the upper lake because the tight, avalanche-prone walls of the cirque are not a safe way to approach it.

Author’s Rating: Most Difficult
Hikers should have good experience and familiarity with snowshoes. This route features sections that will need to be evaluated for avalanche safety every time. Trails climb considerably and may include climbing to ridge tops. Traverses across forested or open slopes may be required. An ability to self-arrest with an ice axe or trekking pole recommended.