Snowshoed to Artist’s point yesterday. Winter wonderland. You need snowshoes from parking lot. The road was snow and ice free.

Took the doggo to check snow and was surprised to see the amounts! I hadn’t packed snowshoes because I hadn’t expected so much snow, which made for some slow going later haha. Up higher I was sinking in higher than mid calf. It’s supposed to keep dumping snow for days, so be prepared winter has arrived up there!

We rolled into the lot around 8:45, and other than a few skiers we had the entire place to ourselves. We couldn’t believe it! We were the only 3 people out snowshoeing on this stunning day! There was fresh snow from last night, so we had to break our own trail most of the way. This made the snowshoeing a tad more difficult, as the snow was somewhat heavy and deep, but we wouldn’t have changed a thing. To see so much untainted snow out there with both Baker and Shuksan out in all their glory was nothing short of spectacular! Of course we checked avalanche conditions before heading out, which is recommended for this route. It might be mid-April, but there is plenty of snow up there, so don’t hesitate to pack the snowshoes and head on out! Of note, if you prefer hiking in spikes vs snowshoeing you will want to wait, as without snowshoes we would have postholed all the way there and back.

Views on top were gorgeous on Mar 31^st. Road was clear of ice and there was plenty of parking. We hiked comfortably with micro spikes all the way up to Hoonton Point, we were consciously stepping onto hard surface of ice and still had few post holes here and there which we think were better than dragging snowshoes. You need more water and sunscreen than usual if sun is out. Someone made igloos on top which were half melted by the time we visited still very impressive and wish we were able to watch them sooner.

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.