Got to the parking area (a strip of forest road right off the main road) at 10am with several spots available. The hike up the road goes back and forth between snow and dirt, we wore micro spikes but you’d be fine in this section without them if you don’t mind slipping a bit. There are a couple wrong turns you could make through this section so GPS is useful. Once you get to the Hex Mountain sign the elevation gain kicks in, something like 1700 feet in 1.7 miles, all snow. This section is totally exposed to sun and wind, the wind was pretty intense today. I would definitely recommend micro spikes and poles though this part too, especially if you’re starting on the morning and the snow is less slushy. We brought snowshoes but didn’t bother putting them on. Luckily the snow felt compact and postholing wasn’t an issue. Small summit with some exposed rock available to sit on, great views today.

Used traction whole time, poles for half. A little post-holing with descent but not enough I wish I had snowshoes but I'm on the lighter side. Road fine for all vehicles. 

Reached the trailhead at 9 am and the parking was overflowing with cars. Didn't expect to see so many people. I think this particular hike is getting a lot of attention in social media. There is snow starting from the forest road all the way up, but the snow is compacted and easy to walk on with sturdy boots and poles. I did use microspikes at the top for better traction but snow shoes are not needed. It was a clear, sunny day with gorgeous views from the top.

Edit- Item Found!

LOST/REWARD --- BMW key fob dropped on the road about 0.7 miles from the gate leading to the Hex Mountain trailhead.  We believe based on our map and photos that it fell out of a (previously zipped) pocket between 0.7 and 1 mile from the gate, though it could be anywhere from 0.7 miles to the top of Hex.   I left my name and number at the gate.  Please comment if you find the fob so we can get in touch. 

We had new snow, about 4 inches from the gate to the summit on top of packed/ partially melted snow.  Along the ridge on the way down, the wind was blowing 30-50knots with bright sun.  Wear sunscreen, bring a balaklava and excellent windbreaker.

We didn't need snowshoes, but could have been helpful on the ridge in places where the snow was dry and drifty. My companions had them on their packs, but didn't use.  We had to scramble up several drifts on the ridge, often up to our waists in snow.  Occasionally used microspikes, especially on the last few yards up to the summit, it was windscraped to packed snow/ice.  Snow had covered our ascending prints when we came down. 

I could have easily lost my key on the ridge, pitching forward into the short snowbanks.  There was no visible trail, we just gave the cornice a wide berth and tried to stay at the highest point of the ridge. 

Great views of Lake Cle Elum from the ridge ascending/descending.  The clouds really cleared when we summited- pretty spectacular 360 views at the top.  A lot of the 4+ inches of snow had melted away to dirt in several large patches when we got back to the road from the main trailhead. Spring's a-comin...

Writing my first WTA trail reports to pay it forward. :) 

Three things to highlight: 

1) TH parking - we arrived at the TH at 8 a.m. and the designated parking spots have all been taken. Thus, we parked along the road within the allowed line. By the time we came back to TH, there are many cars lined up on the road. 

2) Trail condition - I carried my snowshoes the whole trip, but did not need to use it because the snow is very compact and I did not even wear my microspikes to get to the peak. 

3) Hex mountain south peak - Once we got to the main peak, we saw good bootpath to the south peak. I have the GPX file of the round trip (main peak, south peak, and going down the ridge line on the other side rather than going back the same way), but could not see any trip reports detailing that trip. However, we felt inspired when two other groups we shared the peak with mentioned they were planning to go as well. Thus, we set out for the south peak and explored another trail back. Everything was very nice and easy until the last part of the round trip before we connect with the main trail. We had to drop at least 600 feet in a short distance and doing a creek crossing (Newport Creek). With the snow, this part reminded me of the last mile push to Bendera. Luckily, the two groups ahead of us already made a really nice switchback path. Though it looked a bit sketchy, I felt safe descending to the creek and then gain another 400 feet back up. Thank you to the other groups we shared the summit with. It was nice to enjoy a trail less traveled with you all!