Today we attempted to get to both lower and upper Stevens Lakes via snowshoe. We made it across the two open avalanche-prone issues with no signs of avalanche. We got to the lower lake and it was beautiful but very windy. The weather was actually fantastic. Snow wasn't too deep until that second avalanche area when it started getting deeper. No one had been there probably in a week, with the exception of a skier who visited lower down on the trail (probably yesterday, as the tracks were still very distinguishable).
We attempted to get to the upper lake. After some precarious snowshoeing along the shore trail, the wind died down but the snow got deep--easily up to the waist prior to stomping on it with the snowshoes. This was slightly heavy powder, so it was pretty exhausting. We were getting cold and it started snowing. It was a good time to turn around. The way back was obviously easier with our trail intact, but the snow came down hard and even in the 30 minutes that had passed there was already half an inch of new snow covering our trail. We stopped at the main campsite at the lower lake for a quick snack (the wind had died down) before snowshoeing out in the falling snow.
If you have the time and energy, I'd highly recommend using the trail we created to go up to the lakes on snowshoes. Don't go alone, and take your time. Be aware of signs of avalanches. It's absolutely stunning out there.
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