Last Friday, I went on a drive-through Rainier National Park. I decided to stop off at the Snow Lake Trail and see how far I could get. I made it all the way to the lake, however there were a few places where, if other people had not already laid footprints and pointed out where the trail was, I might have gotten lost.
I would guess at that time, that the trail was about 60 to 70% snow-covered. The snow was intermittent, popping up here and there with small sections of the trail visible now and then. There were avalanche lilies blooming all over the place, but I didn't see anything else.
The most difficult spot on this trail is the stream crossing. I saw several people get turned around by it, but if you can make it across and know where to go, you should be fine to make it to the lake.
The lake was still partially frozen, and the surrounding hillsides had lots of snow in the shadowy areas. I don't envy anyone trying to hike up the slope towards Unicorn Peak.
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