No gear? No fear! Snow is so dense in the afternoon, no snowshoes are necessary to keep you on the surface. That being said, you may want to have them for the sake of traction on steep slopes.
Parking was easy to find at 2 pm. My original plan was for a loop around Picture Lake, which I finished quickly and easily. The lake is not accessible without snowshoes, so don’t expect nice pictures from the usual viewpoint. Highwood lake across the road is a great substitute.
After completing the loop, I got curious about the snowshoe trail to Artist Point, and soon found myself hiking up on well-compacted snow in just my hiking boots. Almost zero postholing, bluebird skies, and warmth of spring sun made for a perfect day.
I hiked about 1.1 mi, making it a bit past Heather Meadows, to approximately Lake Ann trailhead. From there, slopes became quite steep, and while snow was still easy to navigate without snowshoes, it became too slippery without traction.
Comments
znarffsu on Artist Point Snowshoe, Picture Lake
My son and I are wanting to photograph the lake with the mountain reflection. You mentioned alot of snow, but is the lake frozen over? Is it still nice to photograph this time of year?
Posted by:
znarffsu on Apr 14, 2024 03:11 AM
ZhuckYu on Artist Point Snowshoe, Picture Lake
Lake is completely frozen over and buried under snow. I don’t think it will melt out until at least late May.
Posted by:
ZhuckYu on Apr 14, 2024 06:54 AM