Arrived 9am Friday, surprised to see how few vehicles in the lot compared to all the prior days based on other trip reports. Only a dozen or so vehicles when we arrived, lot not even half full and all the overflow spots along the road still free. Even when we arrived back to our vehicles mid-afternoon, looks like lot never filled up. I guess it helps to do this hike on a gloomy weekday with light rain all day in the forecast :).
First mile totally snow-free. From there until about 5800ft elevation, snow starts developing and increasing number of patchy spots of snow and ice as you go up. From 5800ft to the pass, all snow/ice on trail.
Once you get to the pass, totally snow covered from there to the lake. We went about 1/4 mile after the pass to a bunch of larges (going left at the fork) and that seemed to be about as far as anyone was going. Anyone else we saw also turned around there, nobody going to the lake. Lots of post-holing going on (not necessarily us, but based on the 4-feet boot-holes all along the way in that 1/4 mile stretch; we focused on stepping at same place as other boot prints.)
Micro-spikes and poles definitely recommended to get to the pass. Possibly essential if you want to go beyond the pass by any amount.
One possible exception about going to lake: a group of six guys (probably early 20s) going up the mountain rather quickly and having passed us said they were aiming for the lake, and since we never encountered them again, they certainly attempted it. Don't know if they made it.
At least getting to the pass is all you need to see the larches. Visibility was probably only half mile to a mile, and we never got to the point where we can actually see the lake.
A few photos for the record. AllTrails recording in the links.
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