Snow Lake

I hadn't been hiking since I returned from Scotland in June. It was mid-August already and the summer was slipping away.  So yesterday at 8 a.m., Pat M. and I met up at the Park 'n' Ride lot at Exit 22 on I-90, and drove together in his car to Snoqualmie Pass.

We parked in the parking lot at the Alpental ski area.  The trail to Snow Lake takes off across a small road adjacent to the ski area.

My climb of (or, more accurately, descent from) Ben Nevis in Scotland had caused some serious pain in my toes.  Luckily, the six days of hiking thereafter was on primarily level ground, and didn't really cause any further problems.  But I was a bit nervous about the climb to a mountain lake, and especially the downhill portions on the return.  I've read that your feet spread out larger as you get older, which makes formerly well-fitting hiking boots become ill-fitting.  So I sacrificed the ankle support given by my boots and hiked in walking shoes -- low rise, but at least they had lugged soles.

As it turns out, some of the muscles in my legs and feet became a bit achy, from not having been used for a while.  And my ankles were a bit stressed.  But the toes that concerned me caused me no problems at all.

The hike enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area about half way to the lake, so you are required to sign in and hang permits on your backpack.  (This is a self-service operation that you perform at the trailhead.)  The trail for the first mile and a half or so works its way gradually upward until you reach an intersection with the trail to Source Lake.  Ignoring this intersecting trail, you turn right and begin a series of switchbacks.  The trail becomes extremely rocky as the switchbacks cross back and forth over rockfalls.  As the switchbacks shorten and become ever steeper, you at least have the assurance that the climb is nearing an end.

I had hoped that the lake would be a short dip beneath the top, but the trail goes over the ridge and continues down the other side for a fair distance before you reach the lake.

We encountered fairly heavy fog at the beginning of the hike, which gave the trees a ghostly appearance.  We met fog again as we approached the lake.  At one moment, the entire lake and its spectacular shoreline would be visible, and the next moment one could barely see the water below the trail. 

The trail splits near the lake, where it essentially meets a trail circling the lake.  We walked a short distance in each direction, both of which offer pleasant places to stop, enjoy the scenery, and have lunch.  The trail to the left leads in a few feet to the abandoned ruins of a stone cabin.  We speculated about why anyone would build a cabin at such an inaccessible location, and how they kept it provisioned.  Now, of course, it's located within the Wilderness Area, and can't be rebuilt.

For me, at least, the downhill portion of the switchbacks was trickier than the uphill.  Unless your ankles are strong, and your balance is excellent, it would be worthwhile bringing hiking sticks with you. 

We hiked on a Friday, and the trail was at least as crowded as the Mt. Si trail -- I can only imagine what it's like on a summer weekend.  Unlike the Mt. Si trail, which dead ends at the summit, the Snow Lake trail continues from the opposite side of the lake ever more deeply into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  But if you enjoy a bit of people-watching, you can put up with the lack of a true "wilderness experience" and enjoy both the spectacular surrounding mountains and your fellow hikers.

The round trip to Snow Lake is six miles, with an elevation gain of about 1,700 feet.  If you get an early start, as we did, you can easily be back in Seattle before the evening rush hour traffic.