Conditions change - but this is what I experienced today. 

Avalanche forecast for this region was very low today (per NWAC).  

Started the hike a little after 9:30am from the snow lake trailhead.  Snow started from the start of the  trail.  However, we never took our snowshoes out of our backpack.  The trail was super packed down, we did not post hole, not even 1x.  The trail was full of snowshoe and skiers.  We put our microspikes on 5 minutes from source lake.  Wore them the way back as well.  We used poles the whole time.  GPS said 4.75 miles round trip.  

The path -- it was covered in snow, 100% of the time.  We followed the ski / snowshoe path the entire way.  There were multiple paths - 2x I took out the GPS to make sure we were still on route.  We saw probably 30 back country skiers, and 20 snowshoe'rs total.  

Originally we were thinking we would snowshoe up pineapple pass, but we decided its been 3 weeks since we last hiked, so we just stayed at the lake and enjoyed the dancing clouds.  We brought ice axes to slide down from the pass (since we don't have skis), but we obviously didn't use go/use them. 

This hike is on avalanche terrain, so be mindful of the forecast and recreate safely out here.   

Excellent short snow hike that is so closed to Seattle. Fresh snow made it so beautiful. We used microspikes until fork to Snow Lake, then put snowshoes on, and that was really helpful. Keep in mind that there is no open restroom on the parking lot.

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!

Beautiful day for snowshoeing in the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. We took the Snow Lake Winter route to the ridgeline saddle (shoulder of Chair Peak) and returned via the Source Lake winter route. Got one of the last parking spots and hit the trail at 10am.

Perfect alignment of no work, reasonably stable snowpack, and an excellent weather window (sunny & cold). **Please be advised this route travels through avalanche terrain - gear and expertise required**

The trail was dry packed powder, so we booted until above Source Lake, then put our snowshoes on. While we climbed to the ridgeline, skiers shredded powder in the chute adjacent to Bryant Peak and below Chair Peak. What a fantastic day for everyone.

After lunch on top, we took the Source Lake Winter route back. Today was one of those gorgeous days that make you feel warm inside and we took it all the way home.

Two of us did a 3 mile r/t snowshoe to Source Lake. Mostly stayed in the trees and followed some established trails we found trying to stay out of the way of the backcountry skiers, which were the majority of the trail users. Route finding GPS always helps on this trail in the snow and every time we do this snowshoe we go a different route, always checking the avalanche forecast prior and being cautious. We did find the falls on the way and had lunch around mid-day overlooking Source Lake. We caught a paragliding backcountry skier as we sat for lunch and would be happy to share some photos we took of this adventurous person if they see this.