Perfect! Snow started about 1.25 miles from start (road closure, not th) and got consistent around 1.75. Trail was almost completely dry because just about everything was frozen. Spikes and poles recommended. Blanca Lake was starting to frost over but still had a enough free water for a bit of a reflection.
Road/Parking: The last mile to mile or so with some large potholes but there were still a couple sedans at the start. The road is still closed about .5 mile from the TH and there is a large washout that was 2-4 feet deeps depending upon where. At 10:30 on a blue sky Sunday there were 5 cars there when I arrived at 8 when I left around 3. There is enough good roadside parking for 12 or so. Pit toilet bathroom was closed.
Trail: There is an extra ~.5 miles road walk with about 100 ft elevation gain. Keep left at the intersection to go up the hill to the TH. The trail has a pretty steady incline with decent terrain up to just before Virgin Lake. There was only one duck under, one swing legs over, and a couple step over tree falls. Around the Glacier Peak view area, just a bit before Virgin Lake, there is some snow travel with potentially hazardous terrain for avalanches (if there was more snow) and potential risk stepping off the edge due to snow. Not bad in my opinion, but worth a mention. In this area there are also a few peak-a-boo views of other peaks, like Lyman and Dip Top.
You will drop down to Virgin Lake (frozen but not solid), then continue dropping way down to Blanca Lake. This section had some really nice snowy mountains. The climb down to Blanca has some slightly more challenging terrain with a few big steps and/or crumbling areas. The viewpoint is phenomenal. Due to the ice I was able to get a slightly different reflection going down to the lake, but generally I would say the viewpoint is the better spot at the moment.
Stats: ~8.5 miles, ~3300 ft elevation gain/loss, 4 hours moving, 4.5 hours total. I am a moderate/fast paced hiker who hikes weekly.
Comments