We arrived at the Palisade trailhead around 8:45 am and discovered that our car was the only one there. There was no outhouse available. The trail was in good condition, with four to five downed trees crossing the path. All except one were easy to navigate around. There was one water creek to cross and depending on your balance and ability to hop on rocks, your boots may get wet.
Snow was present after roughly one mile of trekking, intermittently appearing on the way to the first viewpoint, North Snoquera Point. After that, the trail was covered in a thin layer of snow, approximately 0.5 inches deep. In some areas, the snow was powder fresh and deeper, ranging from 4-6 inches to even 10-12 inches after the fifth viewpoint. We continued our trek toward Little Ranger Peak, summited it, signed the register, took some pictures, and then began our return journey.
Upon our return, we found the stair flight a little slippery. The morning snow covering the boulder/rocks had melted, revealing a beautiful display of moss. We were able to catch a few seconds of views at all of the viewpoints. Despite the cloudy and foggy conditions, the sun attempted to break through, offering brief glimpses of blue sky.
Bottom line, we tried to proceed onto the Ranger Creek Trail and complete the loop back to the car, but unfortunately, we were unable to do so. Approximately 0.5 miles after Little Ranger Peak, we encountered a significant blowdown, we decided to turn back.
Comments