We got to the trailhead around 11am on a Saturday, the parking lot seemed relatively full so we parked on the street just a bit further down the road. Note that as you are driving in you can’t park on the right side of the road, though a number of people ignored that.
The first half of the hike is pretty uneventful, there’s some snow on the trail periodically but it’s easy to navigate. Lots of standing water on the trail so waterproof boots are highly recommended. Beautiful waterfall that was raging from snowmelt.
The second half of the hike is a different beast. You have to take your pack off and crawl under a downed tree, then you ascend switchbacks up a slope. This section I would definitely recommend microspikes or poles as some of the moves could get tricky. There are also a few sections that required some steep ascent or crossing a sketchy snow bridge. The snow was compact and icy which helped a lot but it might be difficult on a warm day. Make sure you stay on trail as some of the postholing can be several feet deep. Don’t even consider this trail on a day with high avalanche danger.
I don’t recommend bringing your dog, our big boy gave it his best shot but he got too spooked at a snow bridge a quarter mile from the lake. We took turns heading up solo for the views but we decided that was as far as he would make it that day.
Overall with the non-ideal snow situation, some confusing areas for route finding, and general risk of Avalanche or snow bridge collapse, this would be a good one to save for the spring.
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