Bottom Line:
The hike from Snow to Gem Lake is a stunner, with impressive views of both the Snoqualmie Middlefork Valley and the far end of Snow Lake, with its island, small peninsula and dramatic cliffs (giving an idea of why this is a stunning pack-raft destination, especially in iceberg season); the trail is in good condition, although there is no water apart from the lakes themselves as all the streams have run dry; this trail is very rocky (mostly of the pointed rather than rounded variety) so important to add that when considering the moderate distance and vertical; poles are your friend :) And alas, I am sad to report that fall color is starting, particularly heading up the Gem (ok... excited about larch season, but not ready to give up summer quite yet!)
Stats:
- Distance: 11.8 miles
- Duration: 5-1/2 hours
- Vertical: 2890 ft
- Road/Parking: Some changes at the Apental lot - tape and signs marking the parking and no-parking areas; chaos has been tamed a bit (?), although the lot was still very full and overflowed to the lower lot; National Forest Parking pass required; toilets; food truck is still there
- Weather: Sunshine, light wind, 70s, increasing smoke from the East
- Water: All the streams that add a lot of interest to the trail to Snow Lake in the early season have dried up, so filtering opportunities are limited to the lakes themselves; even the creek and falls once you reach the lake are dry, as they were last year in last summer; the impact of our increasingly dry summers is evident from the trailhead to the Source Lake junction, where looking up you will see many trees blushing red, and dying (especially those in cliff areas with thin soils)
- Flowers: The flowers have largely waned (although the understory remains lush with their remains); there are some interesting late season flowers, including lots of fireweed and a beautiful dense yellow flower that I have not noticed before and will need to look up
- Trail: The trail is in good condition, dry and mostly devoid of trash which can be a problem due to its popularity; right now, the dry is very dusty (lens caps for your camera), and that dust can make the rocks slippery (saw more than person fall, and tripped myself and have three blue fingers to show for it - but the camera is safe LOL); the trail is very rocky from the trailhead to the Source Lake junction, less so for the rebuilt switchbacks up to the saddle, and then down to the lake, and then pretty rocky again from Snow Lake up to Gem; if the rocks were rounded granite, it would be fun to bounce from rock to rock, but they are more of the sharp, pointed variety, and I was feeling them through my sturdy hiking boats after 10 miles or so; the trail up to Gem has excellent views of both the Snoqualmie Middlefork up to the gaps, and of Snow Lake itself (the far end most folks do not see) as well as directly across to Chair Lake basin; there is some remaining snow on the lakeshore and on the backside of Chair Peak; from Gem, there are some social trails to good views over Snow Lake; planned to hike the bootpath up Wright Mt for more expansive views, but that is probably better after a night at the lake; I heard/saw so many pika today... many more then normal; probably happy that the heatwave is over as well
- Takeaway: Incredibly beautiful, and while busy (and for some people annoyingly so) up to Snow Lake, the crowds thin quickly as you head around the east side of the lake to the Rock Creek outlet (I think the most beautiful access point on the lake for a swim or paddle), and then even more so as you head up to Gem Lake; lots of campers at both lakes and folks fishing at Gem
A short 4K video of this hike will take time to upload and convert to high definition.
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