Got on National park website 7 Pm night before, very busy but got our $2 permit for the 7-9 am gate. Parking at main lot was good. Fast through the gate but showed pass, permit and drivers license. Speed up lines by having all of above out and ready to show the ranger.

Dege peak was amazing. We saw a bear way down in the valley, others reported one below on the trail after we had crossed it. Saw a young marmot, chipmunk and goat way down in the valley. 

Bugs not an issue. flowers along the trail in various stages. Good 5 miles rt. I recommend hiking poles, up and down from peak is dry and dusty, loose pebbles. 

Less traveled than many in the Sunrise area with great views to the north. Really excellent 360 degree view from the peak Routes from either Sunrise Point parking or Sunrise visitor center. A goat spotted on the north side of the trail doing really amazing vertical descent of the cliff.

Ethan got a "night before" pass for Sunrise for the 9 - 11 entry window, so we headed over and walked out to Dege Peak.  On the way we stopped at the Forest Service parking lot at Chinook Pass to use the restrooms.  The one I used was messy, but had plenty of TP.  The wildflowers along the highway here were spectacular.  We arrived at Sunrise about 10:00 and there was still plenty of parking spaces.  The rest room here was clean and had both plenty of TP as well a hand sanitizer.  Age is catching up with ol' Mytho-Man and it took us 2 hrs to get to the summit.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the Mountain was out in all of her glory.  We also had good views to the north of Mt Baker, Glacier Peak, and the peaks of the Alpine Lakes to the north and the Goat Rocks and Mt Adams to the south.  There were lots of nice wildflowers, but not the lush meadows here like there are at Paradise (this is the dry side of the mountain).  There were other hikers out, but it never felt crowded.  There was a cool breeze at times, but it got hot sitting on the summit in the sun.  There were plenty of parking spaces when we got back to the car about 3:30.

I started on the Dege Peak trail from the Sunrise parking lot. Then hit snow. The early patches were not hard to cross, but then I hit a patch that would require going off trail up loose soil, which would totally wreck the burgeoning wildflowers. Plus, I could only see that the snow would be a ridge that did not look safe. I turned back. If Dege Peak is your destination, past trip reports make it sound like starting from the small lot where you can take the epic Palisades Lakes trail is the way to go. I came back up the Sourdough Ridge trail, but not on purpose. Snow turns me around. There was snow on that trail too. The big wildflower show is not ready yet, so I'd say give these two hikes a week or so for the snow to melt so you can protect the vegetation.

I hit Fremont afterwards. The trail is dry and mostly snow free and almost entirely in the sun. 76 degrees with no clouds felt hot. There are a couple patches early on that looked manageable for all. There's a longer patch right before the lookout, but it's avoidable without hurting the terrain (look where you step). This trail has steep drop offs and sections with loose rock. I saw all ages, abilities, and preparedness this morning. Wildflowers dot the landscape here and there, but nothing show stopping yet. When you take the right turn up toward Fremont Lookout by the lake, you can see stretches of snow on the Burroughs trail that looks scary as heck. I'm going to give that one time for the snow to melt too. 

If you're looking for something family friendly, I recommend Sheep Lake and Silver Falls Loop. 

Hiked up to Dege Peak from the Palisades Lakes lot. It’s is 1.5mi and about 980ft of elevation gain to the summit from this direction. A small snowfield remains about 200yd from the summit, easily crossed without microspikes. The views are expansive and the flies are hungry at the peak. Wildflowers are just starting to bloom with avalanche lily and creeping flox along the trail.

After descending, we passed back through the parking lot for a quick hike extension down to Sunrise Lake. There is a substantial snowfield both before and after the rock slide and microspikes and poles are definitely needed. The lake is crystal clear and a few salamanders were spotted swimming about. It looks like there is still substantial snow headed out towards Clover Lake and beyond. Pack appropriate gear if you’re headed out that way.

There was no one on either trail and the parking lot was nearly empty — a shocking luxury this time of year, but I suppose everyone was sleeping in from the festivities of the 4th.