Blue Lake — Monday, Oct. 13, 2025

Hiked 8am Monday 10/13 and were the 7th car in the lot.

Gear: thermal layers, waterproof outer layer, gloves, wool socks, boots, spikes, poles with snow baskets, hat, sunscreen.

Road: Road from 530 to 20 was clear, patches of ice. Only used 4L in couple spots on 20 coming up.

On trail: Fresh powder made for a pleasant and quiet hiking experience. Trail is a bit narrow in places, but with good hiking boot tread (>1”) did not use spikes.

Larches: Larches were glistening yellow under several inches of snow.

Crowd: Arrived at the lake around 10:30am, and wow it was crowded from 11am to 1pm. Passed groups every 50-200 feet, many with dogs.

When we returned at 1pm the parking lot was overfull and vehicles were lined down the highway. Please do not park at the trail entrance next to the sign; it’s nearly impossible to see out.

Temperatures hovered between 25 and 35 degrees. As the weather warmed up watch out for melting snow clusters falling off the trees.