Enjoyed a quick and beautiful hike up to the saddle. There were a fair amount of fellow hikers although never felt like too many people. Easy access from town and nice views along the way.

The WTA trail description is good. Hiked to the saddle & did not encounter wildflowers or snow on April 21st. Beautiful views. On sunny Friday afternoon, saw plenty of hikers but not too crowded. Highly recommend this hike.

Cruised up to Icicle Ridge yesterday. Cruised is the right word up until the saddle where most folks were headed. Great trail. Gains elevation smoothly and the switchbacks are nice. (How often do you hear that?) No snow to the saddle. Lots and lots of friendly people. From there I turned west and continued up the ridge. Hit snow intermittently around 3300 feet and continuously above 3800. Put on microspikes and gaiters. Post holed from 4000 to 5000 feet but above there the snow was firm, wind scoured and easy to travel without snowshoes. Fantastic views at about 5500 where the trees have been burned off the ridge. A few little snow squalls blew through but that just added to the scenery. Only saw two parties above the saddle. A little less than six hours all in. I'd love to do this again when the snowline is a bit farther up.

The bottom of the trail was snow covered, but about 10 minutes into the hike the trail became totally clear. It remained clear of snow for most of the way. Near the top, some intermittent ice and packed snow appeared. This turned into full snow about 30 min from the top. It was decently slippery, micro spikes or snowshoes were certainly helpful, but not strictly necessary. Most others seemed to turn around before the top because of the snow. It was lightly snowing at the top and we walked along the ridge for a short bit before heading back down. At the top, I was sinking through the snow a bit even with snowshoes.

Although the weather was cloudy and rainy, I'm glad I listened to my gut and went out for the hike. The views on the way up and the vista at the top were worth traveling through the snow and getting a little soggy on the way up. The trails were 90% covered with snow and, in a few places, ice. However, that being said, the snow was really only a minor annoyance. It never posed any safety issues, and as a pretty novice hiker, I never felt unsafe or unsure of my ability to keep my footing. I went without any traction devices, just wore muckboots and used a walking stick. The only time the trail got pretty tough was at the very top of the ridge. It appeared that not many hikers go all the way to the ridge, so the snow on the trail was not very well packed down, and I did sink up to my waist a couple times, Pretty smooth sailing for me and my dog. Got to see some wildlife, refill the water bottle along the way (not sure if that will be there in more dry conditions), and see some pretty breathtaking sights. Definitely worked hard and are pretty tired, but would definitely go again under the same conditions.