Right now there's a rare opportunity to see Snow Lake in mid-November with NO SNOW on the trail.
Just a week or two ago, the lake basin was buried in waist-deep snow; a few warm, rainy days changed that in a big way. Except for a light dusting of white stuff from scattered flurries, there is now no snow to be seen on the ground. And, with no precipitation in the immediate forecast, this weekend should be glorious and maybe even sunny at the lake.
Today, though, the weather was a mixed bag. It was a day where "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute" became "If you don't like the weather, wait a second." I left the trailhead amidst snow flurries, which quickly changed to clear and partly sunny. I even enjoyed a few minutes of sun at Snow Lake (can this really be November?). Suddenly the temperature dropped ten degrees and it began to snow, and pretty heavily too. As I recrossed the ridge on the way back, the flurries abruptly ended and I finished the hike under typically dreary late autumn skies.
I've heard that the trail is snow-free all the way to Gem Lake. I can't confirm that, but I did hike across the lake inlet and around the shore to the big "picnic rock" outcrop, and still saw no snow on the ground.
The trail itself is in good shape, though it will always be the rockiest of rocky trails, destroyer of sneakers and flip-flops.
From what I could see in the area, all the trails in the Snoqualmie Pass area are in the same condition. So if you're looking for a weekend hike, you might want to take what will probably be the last opportunity to hike around the pass without snow gear.
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