Bead Lake — Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022

Bead Lake on the Saturday after Thanksgiving has become a bit of a tradition for me, and this one was the most wintery in memory! Some years I still find a few lingering fall colors and even late wildflowers, but this year the trail is entirely snow covered already. I was able to park in the upper (hiker) parking lot, although I wouldn’t recommend it without 4-wheel drive and good snow tires. The snow varied from about 4-6” deep and I turned back before trail’s end because it was getting deeper the farther I went up-lake. I used micro spikes instead of snowshoes, but I’d consider one or the other necessary at this point. This was also the first time I’ve done a Thanksgiving weekend visit and not met others out on the trail, which surprised me. It was a gorgeous day to be out and this is an excellent winter trail, although parking access will likely be tricky as more snow is expected soon.