This hike was pleasant. The trail had some spotty tread problems, but was also very good in some places. We were disappointed that we had to leave our snowshoes behind since there was zero sign of snow at the trailhead. We started to see signs of snow not too long after we hit a huge downed cedar in the trail, probably a little over a mile in. The compacted snow made the trail slick in places, so hiking poles were very helpful. Heather Lake was beautiful – totally snow covered, and you could see the layers of snow on the boulders around the lake … having the appearance of baked muffins or large sedimentary rock. Snowshoes would have been nice to have as we went around the lake, as we easily punched through in boots. Stats: 1.9 one-way, 850' elevation gain.

Wanted to take advantage of the GREAT day up the Mountain Loop Highway. Everything was looking great until the sign just outside of Granite Falls: ROAD CLOSED 22 MILES AHEAD AT DEER CREEK. For the record, that's about 1-2 miles before the Big-4 Campground. Yikes. Stopped in to check the story at the Verlot Ranger Station. The helpful employee told me that this was a seasonal closure...lots of snow on the road this year. When will it be reopened, I asked. The reply: could be next week, March, mid-May, whenever the ""tarmac"" is clear. So I drove up to the turnaround and was greeted by a huge yellow gate, several cars, and disappointment. The road definitely had a fair amount of snow on it past the gate, but there were bare patches where tire ruts had cleared a path. For the record, the gate is located about .2 miles west of milepost 24. So, back to Heather Lake/Mt. Pilchuck. Heard that the Pilchuck road was very snowy at about 1500-2000 feet, so I decided to hop up to Heather Lake. It was a glorious day. One blowdown about halfway up, nothing major. Just after the blowdown...about 1800' or so...the trail becomes snow covered. It wasn't too bad, but rather slippery in the steeper elevations. Could have used poles. It will likely be snowing this week, so I would recommend snowshoes. The lake is frozen over and topped with a healthy layer of snow...lots of it everywhere. We're making up for last year! Plenty of traffic...counted about 12 cars when I arrived...well over 20 when I returned. A couple of parties told me they tried to go up the road to Mt. Pilchuck, but there was heavy snow about 3 miles up the road. They didn't have 4WD however. Great hike...great day...great to have trails like this at lower elevations!

Took advantage of the brief calm between storms to get outside. With the short days, I decided to take an easy trip - Heather Lake. The road to Heather Lake is open and in relatively good shape. No problem for a sedan w/ 2-wheel drive. The trail is snowfree until just before the lake. The snow is highly compacted and doesn't require any special gear like YakTrax or Snowshoes (this will change as more snow falls). Their are 2 large blowdowns, one is a 2-foot diameter log across the trail, the other is a debris slide of logs, rootballs, and branches that covers around 20 feet of trail, and goes up the slope about 30 feet. There are also lots of instances of water running down the trail instead of off the trail. I saw many drainage ditches that had eroded or filled in. Didn't see another soul the whole day.

This is an addendum to my report for Mt Pilchuck. At the turnoff onto Mt Pilchuck Road there is a big 'Road Closed' sign set right in the middle of the road. It hardly blocks access and I drove around and on up to the trailhead. The FS website says 'temporary closure due to slick conditions'. I dont know how long this lasts or if it is enforced but I passed a Snohomish Sheriff on my way back down as he drove up, he gave me a friendly wave. I guess use your best judgement and be careful if you do try. The road is easily driveable without chains to Heather Lake, beyond that you will need chains or all-wheel drive.

We were the only ones on the trail all day. A treat for a hike that is usually much busier. Mountain Loop Hwy in good shape with a minor construction area. Road to the trailhead had snow from the start off of the Mountain Loop Hwy. There's a Road Closed sign at the beginning, but we interpreted it to be for the fork on the right that displays an obvious washout. Anyway,the road was easily and carefully navegable in my little Hyundai Elantra. A few holes to dodge and some sections where the car is a bit low, but nevertheless not bad. Snow at trailhead and on-and-off in the first section of trail to the old road. Easily walked with hiking boots (waterproof) or winter boots. The next section of trail might give the desire to put on snowshoes a ways up, but it is not advisable since there are a lot of bare areas and creek crossings where damage to the snowshoes might happen. About halfway up there is a conglomeration of fallen trees across the trail. These can be walked around without difficulty, but watch your step. It can be slippery and uneven when stepping around this. There is another tree down further up, but this one is much less significant. At about 3/4 of the way up, snow begins to be more constant and snowshoes can help somewhat for the rest of the hike, although it's still a solid tread to the lake. Once at the lake it is necessary to have snowshoes if you plan on exploring a little. The snow in the upper area right before the lake and around it can be deep and frustrating to walk on without them, and as we found out, a screaming-good-time to venture on with them We had lunch, took some pictures, and enjoyed a few micro-avalanches before heading down. Beautiful day too.