Closed for the season. The gates are shut several miles from the TH at Deer Creek. You can still access Big Four Ice Caves but it requires an extra walk from the gate to the TH.

Sadly we forgot to check before heading out but we still found another option nearby. 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mbs/alerts/mountain-loop-highway-and-mt-pilchuck-rd-closed-winter

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/518/Road-Closures

Today we hiked the Gothic Basin trail to Foggy Lake. Plenty of parking when we left the trailhead at 8am.

The trail was wet with flowing streams and muddy sections. This made for beautiful waterfalls at the gully crossings. A lot of trail work was completed since we last hiked here. Some of the slabby sections had steps cut into the granite and a chain handrail was installed.

The basin and route to Foggy Lake was snow covered. We used spikes and poles on the firm snow. Saw only a few hikers in the basin and no one at Foggy Lake. Gorgeous day to have lunch up there.

Please be careful on snow bridges in the basin as they are weak. When descending in the afternoon, I fell through one. Luckily, my gaiters and boots kept me from getting wet. Keep an eye on how water is draining and stay off those areas.

Sick hike, started hiking at 2 am for the sunrise, i think it helped with not being super tired on the way up.

Sammy the Salmon Sushi here!
Today I got to see Foggy Lake, it was very nice.
I wonder why they call it Foggy Lake though - there was no fog, just a bright sunny day!
Names should describe something well, like my name, Sammy the Salmon Sushi.
It makes sense because I'm a Salmon Sushi.

Anyway, someone left a nice Sammy size flag marking the trail - thanks!
I also got to see some GIANT MUSHROOMS!

Sammy signing off!

P.S. Notes from Sammy's human:

-Road to the trailhead was good. There is one spot on Mountain Loop Highway that is loose gravel and there's a bump when transitioning. It's right after the 25 mph Speed Limit sign.

-Parking area notes that it's a High Prowl area and there was some broken glass on the floor.

-Lots of water on the trail and a good number of small water crossings. I managed fine with waterproof trail runners (although on the way out at the last big water crossing, a rock shifted and I did get a little wet).

-Snow started around 3600 ft. Lots of areas with a mix of rock and water/snow/ice, but no major obstacles. Pretty good boot pack up until Gothic Basin. But forecast to be a bit warmer tomorrow (11/9/25), so might be a bit slopper, especially by the late afternoon.

-Around Gothic Basin, started postholing, so gaiters were helpful. In that phase of the shoulder season where snowshoes may or may not have been helpful (I brought them, but the straps ended up breaking when I went to put them on. Good reminder to check your gear if it hasn't been used in a while...)

-Went up to Foggy Lake, but that last steep section was a bit tricky because sometimes I punched down quite a bit. An annoyance on the way up, but more of an issue on the way down, especially if you're trying to plunge step down.

-Was considering a scramble up one of the peaks, but as I was having lunch by Foggy, heard and saw small bits of snow melting off the rock, so decided against it. Brought an ice axe, but don't know how useful it would have been given the patchy snow. Also realized later that I forgot to bring a helmet.

Last mile and a half of this hike has a lot of snow. It was still doable before that point. Microspikes and poles would probably help.

This is a challenging hike. It's great in the summer. And every time I do it, I want to camp at the top, and not rush back down.

Somebody left a nice pair of hiking shoes at the first big waterfall about the halfway point.

This hike will be snowed in and the road will be shut to get to it soon. It's still enjoyable to at least do the first half, and there are a few streams at the base to cross so be prepared. This is one of my favorite hikes in the summer.