Decided to take both of my kids for the last hike of the year to Source Lake. Alpental was not open for skiing this weekend and I thought we could do a short snowshoeing to Source Lake from Alpental upper parking lot (Lot 4 I think).
There were cones placed on the road just before Snow Lake Trailhead so I decided to just park at the main lot and hike up the road.
I brought snowshoes and spikes but only used spikes the whole time. The snow was pretty compact and there's a great bootpath all the way to the Lake. Even though the snow looked packed, I postholed so many times once I was above the Falls. I tempted to put on my snowshoes but It wasn't that long until we got to the Lake.
I'd say, the trail was not toddler friendly after the Falls. There were short switchbacks that were narrow and steep. It was a bit outside of my comfort zone as I carried my toddler. Older kids can do it but this depends on the snow conditions and your comfort level. Be prepared with the avalanche risks although this route seems to have less risk than the summer route.
Today, the creek crossings were also mellow so I had no problem bringing my toddler up to the Falls.
We started late at around 12:45 PM and finished just before the sun set. We only met 5 backcountry skiers as we hiked up and had the lake to ourselves.
It's definitely a great last hike of the year!
Stats: 4.1 mi RT with a little over 3 hours total time. My toddler also hiked for 2 miles yay!
Happy New Year everyone!
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