First time snowshoeing this route and would have to say it is perhaps the most scenic trip I have taken to date. 

Took the winter route up.   Follow Alpental road past the lower and main parking lots, past the upper lot and overnight lot, to even a further parking lot.   From here, there is a wide, cat tracked groomed path, well signed as the return route for back county skiers.  We parked in the main lot and walked up.

The winter route is far safer avalanche wise, along the southwest side of the creek on the other side of the valley as the summer trail.   Trail was wide for a mile or so and then becomes more of a traditional trail width.   Was  clear to follow the entire way.  

Made it to source lake, continued straight uphill from there and curved right towards the alternate summer trail to snow lake and overlook.  Got a great view of the lake.  The return down the slope towards Source Lake was a bit tricky and required comfort on traversing steep, open slopes.  

Since the avalanche danger was low, returned via the summer trail.  Do not do this when avalanche danger is medium or high.   Could see avalanche debris over the trail on several of the shoots.    Also, there were several water crossings on the return on the summer trail, that required us to remove our snow shoes (we left them off after the first one).    Especially on the first on we encountered, it was a bit dangerous to descend down the snowbank to the crossing.  The crossings themselves were fine.

The views were fantastic throughout.

Beginner snowshoers and loved this trail. We turned back before Source Lake due to crossings and rumor of avalanche debris. Ski Patrol told us to go via Snow Lake trail rather than the Alpental access trail. We had a great day on the trail despite not making it to Source Lake.

I love this trail for snowshoeing! I went for the first time with an experienced friend who has a 4wd car, so driving/parking were not a problem. I believe parking was free and there were plenty of spaces. We arrived around 11am and completed the 5mi trip in just a couple of hours with frequent photo breaks. The trail is very well populated and very feasible for beginner snowshoers. I would recommend snowshoes and poles, as there is a decent amount of elevation gain and the poles help provide stability and added assistance on the upward climb. I usually recommend renting snowshoes through REI if you don't own a pair. Member price is about $26/person/day. I'd definitely recommend snowshoes right after fresh snowfall (as opposed to trying this trail with just snow boots or microspikes).

This was an absolutely beautiful trail with a clearly marked path. Suitable for dogs if they're in good shape. Can't wait to come back here!

Our goal today was just to get out of the house with all the kids despite the less than perfect PNW forecast of snow mixed with rain.  There really hasn't been much new snow recently, so we knew we would probably have to head all the way up to the pass to make it worth venturing out. Source Lake was our destination because we knew we wouldn't have to deal with a long forest road and fall short of the trailhead.  This is usually not an issue but we had at least one kiddo who was marginal on the whole trip and we wanted nothing but success!  We were able to drive all the way to the end of the road and started our trip from the groomed trail on the northwest corner of the lot.  It is possible to start closer to the resort on the Snow Lake Trail and following the river on the north side, then circle around Source Lake and come back on the south side.  We opted to just take the south side in and out for a 2.5 mile RT.

We started on the trail just before 10am at about 3190 feet and only gained about 500ft by the time we got to the lake as it runs ran along the south side of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River.  And when I say lake, I mean pond mostly covered with snow.  The big draw here is the ridge that surrounds and towers above Source Lake that takes those willing to make the climb up to Snow Lake.  It's important to note this is a high avalanche area. We saw at least 3 debris fields on our trek today, the first one about .85 miles in.  Chair and Bryant Peak rising above to the west are most likely the source for all the snow, low clouds today kept them from our view.  There was a major avalanche in 1999 that devastated the forest around the lake, a good reminder to always be prepared, even if that means choosing another trail.

There was one well trampled trail to follow, in addition to multiple social trails down to the river in search of the waterfalls that cascade down from the lake.  Both SMR (Seattle Mountain Rescue) and members of NWAC (Northwest Avalanche Center) were out today and half the folks we saw had skis.  We didn't stay long at the lake as two from our group had turned back near the beginning because one was not feeling well and we were back to the car by 11:30am with time to stop at the Red Mountain Coffee rest stop for hot cocoa and coffee.

Remember when walking on snow covered trails there is an etiquette.  Try to stay off ski tracks and if you choose to not wear snowshoes, know that post-holing creates a tripping hazard for both skiers and snowshoers (and almost anyone) so try and stay to the sides as much as possible. Thank you!