I usually try to avoid the popular trails since most of my hiking is on the weekends, but on this rainy morning the Ice Caves weren't very popular. I arrived at the picnic area around 10am, after deciding I didn't want to hike to Goat Lake in the rain. There was a steady light rain the whole morning that added to the muddiness of the trail. You'll need a change of shoes after this hike. There are no snow caves right now, but there is a huge snow bank waiting to be carved. Lots of waterfalls coming the down the cliffs as well.

Trail pretty dry with little mud and no snow until you reach the basin. Started hike at about 1:00pm and came across 20 to 30 people on the trail and at the basin (pretty crowded.) Witnessed one medium size avalanche come over the top that was pretty impressive. There is one large cave opened up to the right when you enter the basin. It has already lost a large protion of the roof and looks to be ready to colapse.

Spent half a day shooting photos at Big Four. The trail is muddy in spots, but clear of snow all the way to the basin. Snow is the basin is still thigh deep in spots, but passable with care. During a four hour photo shoot I witnessed at least a dozen avalanches, so exercise some caution. On weekdays there are few people and excellent views.

There is minimal ice and snow on the trail. A few blowdowns just before the bridge but extensive work has already been done there. A few other minor blowdowns and solid snow only at the very end. Not as many avalanches coming down as expected, but a calm afternoon typical of the Casacades and a great hike. As usual during the week, the mountain loop highway was practically deserted.

This is the first time I've been on the this trails since the contractors began upgrading it. The new construction is very nice but I think perhaps they've gone a little over-board with all the yellow caution tape. There's lots of it strung all over the place along with the well placed signs warning of avalanche danger. There's compact snow and ice along most the trail. I reached the end of the trail in late afternoon after the sun had already set on the impressive northern wall of Big Four. There are no ice caves open.