Snow Lake — Monday, Jun. 12, 2023

Bottom Line:

Perfect June hike up to a very snowy, Snow Lake; trail in good condition, but the descent into the lake basin is not without risk; route-finding skills and active attention to terrain features to avoid hazards required; the lake is still mostly frozen, with emerald pools on the surface of the ice, reflections in the open water, and lingering snow on the surrounding peaks (beautiful!!); this trail always SMELLS so good this time of year up to the Source Lake junction - we need to make a candle or something :)

Stats:

• Distance: 6-1/4 miles
• Duration: 2-3/4 hours
• Vertical: 1565 ft
• Parking: Nice smooth ride on the recently paved Alpental Road off I90; the Alpental gravel parking lot is large - plenty of parking today with probably 2 dozen cars to start, and only a handful on the return; Northwest Forest parking pass required; some ski area construction but only audible for the first 1/2 mile or so of the trail
• Weather: Sunny, no wind, 80F - in order words, perfect :)
• Trail: A quiet day by late afternoon, with a few folks descending, and no other people down in the lake basin; the guy burning incense while chilling under a tree characterized the trail today; the trail is in good condition up to the saddle above the lake, with just a few snow patches that are easy to navigate (snow patches appear in the woods within 1/4 mile of the trailhead); the trail from the Source Lake junction to the saddle was rebuilt last year, and is much wider and more level (previous video of rebuilt section here); many pretty small waterfalls up to the Source Lake junction, although some of the drainages have already dried up for the summer, which was a little surprising; the trail is wet (but not really muddy) in places with the continued snow melt; the descent into the lake basin is definitely hazardous, with snow bridges, hidden creeks and tree wells to navigate; there is water flowing under the snow in many spots (see video) - pay attention to the terrain and obvious drainages; I had planned to take the winter route down, but the snow was too thin for that, and the creek under that route was evident in numerous spots; following the summer trail, it quickly disappears in snow fields with exposure, and this is where I used poles and microspikes to pick my way down to the lake; the waterfall and creek flowing into the lake are clear, but exercise caution approaching the lake where there is some exposure to the open creek; the frozen lake was breathtaking - worth the adventure!
• Flowers: There are spotty flowers to the junction with Source Lake, including some large patches of avalanche lilies (peaking in the shade, past in the sunnier sections); lots of butterflies, moths and a few pika
• Takeaway: Snow Lake lives up to its name, and will take another ~3 weeks to melt out depending on the upcoming weather; the dry front-side ascent and the descent into the lake basin are too distinct worlds! The basin is usually quite a bit colder, but was still warm today

The attached video shows much of the trail and conditions at the lake itself. Perhaps a gap in the video on the descent into the lake basin... I was more focused on my footing and not falling into deep snow holes! :)