No problems getting to the trailhead in my 2 WD Corolla without tire chains. There was snow and ice on the road but the road is relatively straight and flat so it was easy driving.

We were in our snowshoes all day, and probably could not have made it to Snow Lake without them (skis would have been fine too). The trail to Source Lake was pretty well packed firm, but to get to Snow Lake we had to travel up steep terrain in loose, dry powder which would have been very difficult without the snowshoes. We saw a few small avalanche slides, so we avoided the really steep faces.

It was a beautiful day at Snow Lake. This trail rarely disappoints.

Started at 8:30am and wandered out onto the snow packed trails. There's a lot of different tracks but they all kind of lead in the same direction. There were about a dozen people out there, some on snowshoes others on skis. Walk along the South Fork Snoqualmie River for a while before moving into a couple areas where there's clearing and giant boulders covered in snow. Found a frozen waterfall and that's where we decided to turn around and head back. Spent about 1.5 hours hiking in and out. Didn't make it all the way to Source Lake but easily could have gone the whole way. A very beautiful day! It was about 25 degrees at 8:30am and I wore three base layers and a vest.

Decided to go for a post-Thanksgiving snowshoe. Visibility wasn't great, and the snowpack was pretty light (especially at the start of the trail where a lot of gravel was exposed). The trail was very difficult to follow as folks had snowshoed/ walked all over and there were multiple paths through the snow. This wasn't an issue until we were around a mile or so (we think) from Source Lake and lost the trail entirely. We ended up turning back so we wouldn't have to path find in the dark. I'll be back to do this again once there is a bit more snow on the ground.

Got to the Alpental back lot @ 10 am, road was compacted snow and slush from 1-90 turnoff to the end of the road. Most of the 3 dozen or so vehicles in the lot were 4WD or AWD.  Moderate traffic on the trail with an even split between AT skiers and snowshoers. Snow was good, a bit wet and a solid 3' deep. Snowshoes, waterproof boots, and poles should be considered mandatory. 

Took about an hour to make it to the lake which has almost frozen over, stream crossings are snow bridged or completely covered for the most part. We debated going up Pineapple Pass, but low visibility and an abundance of skiers persuaded us not to. Side note, skiers can be moving pretty fast on the trail, be aware and prepared to sidestep as needed.

Additional side note, as snow layers continue to deposit/melt/freeze, there are areas toward the end of the trail with considerable avalanche exposure--Check NWAC forecast before heading out on this one.

Drove to the end of Alpental Road at the first exit at Snoqualmie Pass.  Was astounded at the amount of snow.  Had a great snowshoe. Getting across small creeks can be a challenge.  Another foot of snow will make all the difference.