If you are looking for wildflowers now is the time to hike Green Mountain. The bloom is about over in the first meadow at about 2 miles in. You'll need to continue on, the flowers and views get better. You catch the first glimpse of Green Mountain at about 2.5 miles. At this point there is a little patchy snow on the trail. The snow is consistent however, in the bowl below the summit. The snow conditions were good so we (Laura, Paul, Tom and I) kicked steps straight up the face. The views of the surrounding peaks are awesome and well worth the trip (Baker, Glacier...). Stats: 8 miles, 3100 feet.

Snow begins just before entering the basin below the summit. The way is clear up until then, and the trail in much better shape than last year (I also saw a WTA workgroup making a few new switchbacks). From the basin, the trail is not visible, so I just walked up the face of the mountain. Exceptional view of Glacier Peak. Also, it seems that the lookout is in much better shape than last year. It still isn't open, but the deck around it looks brand new (although one rail looks like it was broken already!). The wildflowers weren't really out yet, but were just starting to bloom.

Went skiing up the trail today. The snow was crusted over. Stayed on top of the crust the entire way. There were 2 trees in the road 4.3 miles before the trail head. Someone moved one of the trees while I was up the trail. There is still one tree in the road. A vehicle can get under the remaining tree. The snow is about 2 feet deep at the trail head. Appears that 4 wheel drive trucks can get to within 2 miles of the trail head. I skiied for 5 hours. Could go no farther. Was very tired. Stopped where I could see the lookout and had a sausage lunch. Was about 1,000 feet below the lookout. There were some avalanches up there recently.

I headed up here on a beautiful day excited about getting some photos of fresh snow on the surrounding peaks. Little did I know that Green Mountain itself was already buried under fresh snow! Suiattle River Rd. and the FS road to the trailhead are still easily passable but potholes and small blowdown make it a long drive. Snow starts almost immediately on the trail and becomes knee deep by the time you reach views of Glacier Peak. Once Green Mtn. comes into view the trail is lost in snow-covered meadows. I continued off-trail aiming for the summit lookout when I could see it. Navigating this way was easy but actually moving wasn't. Without snowshoes I was sinking waist-deep in thick, fresh powder that made walking on level ground difficult and climbing almost impossible. As the sun began to sink below the ridge leaving the basin in shadows, the temperature dropped to the point that my hand occasionally froze to my ice ax. I got as far as the final ascent up Green Mtn. itself but it was too late, and the snow much too deep to make it to the top. I had decent views of Spire Point and Glacier Peak and the tracks I left in the snow-covered meadows made for some nice photos. The two lakes in the meadow are frozen but not entirely covered. Small streams running bewteen them left interesting patterns in the snow. In general, however, it was a cold, lonely hike. The amount of snow that has already fallen up here is shocking - just one week of bad weather has ""closed"" the high-elevation areas of the Cascades for the next 8 months. It's not unexpected, but still very disappointing. I'm most upset about missing out on sweeping views to the north from Mt.Baker to the Ptarmigan Traverse crest of summits, so I'll certainly be back to climb Green Mtn. when it opens up again, probably next July.

The access road (#2680) is 6 miles of very rough surface. The trail is in good shape; a little brushy in spots. The lake mid-way up near the campsites has lots of water in it. The lookout is in very bad shape, but the views are as great as ever.