Very well maintained. Not too many other hikers. Beautiful lake and scenery

I did a 14.25 mile loop starting from Cascade Lake. I took the Cold Springs trail up (it was indeed cold at cold springs) then up to Mt Constitution. Both the upper portion of the Cold Springs trail and the trail up to Mt Constitution had a thin layer of snow, mostly hard and icy. I never felt I needed spikes (and I'm fond of my spikes). The most treacherous part was the ice on the steps near the top of the tower. Crossing the road at the top was icy as well. There was no precipitation coming from the sky today, but it was raining little chunks of icy snow falling from the trees. Very pretty views of the water from the top, especially with the snow in the foreground.

 Next I headed down to Twin Lakes (quickly leaving the snow behind) and then around them, and resisted the temptation to do a side trip to Mt Pickett for the extra mileage and elevation (and just because it's there) as I had a 3:15 ferry to catch. Then I headed down to Mountain lake and took the trail down the east side of it. Views of the lake were lovely.

From there I followed the Cascade creek trail to the south end of Cascade lake (checking out the falls along the way), and then back up to my car. I think there was only one log to step over the entire way. I saw maybe five people between Mt starting point and Twin Lakes, and more around Mountain Lake. Not at all crowded. A beautiful day and a great workout

13feb2023 ~14:10, after i've completed the Self-Registration for Campsite_#132 at Mountain Lake Campground, Moran State Park, i went for a ramble - "Lollipop" Loop ; Campsite_#132 > 1 > 2 > Mount Pickett > 3 > 1 > Campsite_#132.

The Trails were in good condition and seemed well-maintained. My ramble was uneventful but for the ~15+ minutes of hail when i was at/around Mount Pickett.

Encountered a Senior couple at (2) - they were coming Back/Down after going to the Viewpoint (shown in the Map) to see the Cypress trees there (i didn't go to the Viewpoint - so i don't know about the Cypress trees). And on my way Down/Back, at (3) a Trail-runner came Down from behind me. Except for a few other people that i saw at the Parking Lot beside Mountain Lake, these 3 were the only people that i encountered when i was on the Trails until the next morning (TUE 14feb2023) - yes, i was the only person camping at Mountain Lake Campground. So much peace and quiet .. lots of sweet solitude for so many hours 👍😊

By the way, the Mountain Lake Campground and toilets were very clean.. many thanks to the Moran S.P. for their hard work in upkeeping the Trails and Facilities 👍

Happy Trails Everyone 😃

This is one of the most beautiful walks I’ve ever done. It is mostly shaded by evergreen forest, and has lovely lake views the entire time. GPS Tracks logged the complete counter-clockwise loop as 5.0 miles with 243 feet of elevation gain, which seemed about right. There are several more ambitious hikes available from the same trailhead.

There are two large parking lots, several picnic tables, and a nice restroom at the trailhead. There were plenty of parking spots available at 11:00 on this Monday. There were several dozen other walkers, but the trail did not feel crowded. There were a few other dogs.

The trail was nice and dry. There were a few spots that would require caution if the trail was wet. Most of the trail is hard packed dirt, and it is well signed. There is a short stretch, maybe 400 feet, where you have to walk along a road to close the loop. The road has a wide shoulder and is lightly trafficked. Very pleasant, fairly easy walk with great scenery.

ETA: we did this walk again clockwise a few days later. If you don’t want to do the whole loop, going clockwise for up to a mile gives you the most scenic and flattest part of the loop.

Love this hike! Easy and flat enough for a relaxing stroll around the lake or an easy jog.