What a lovely, off-the-beaten-path hike. Arrived at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning to find about a half-dozen cars in the lot, but we walked several miles before actually seeing another human. The trail is broad and flat and smooth while it follows the Carbon River for the first three miles, and it would be an excellent route for biking or easy trail running. This broad path continues along the river, but at mile three we took the right turn (marked by an easy-to-spot sign) to ascend to Green Lake.
The trail to the lake was pretty standard issue - some rocks and roots, but nothing crazy; moderate elevation gain; a bit of water, as you'd expect anywhere in the PNW in the spring. We started seeing patchy snow about half a mile from the lake, and the last quarter-mile was entirely snow-covered and a bit slippery. We didn't bother with traction devices since it was such a short distance, but those who feel less comfortable on slick surfaces might want microspikes. Saw a few more groups of people on the return, but probably no more than ~15 over the course of the entire 10-mile hike. Overall an excellent hike, particularly if you're looking for something quiet and/or when higher elevations are still socked in with snow.
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