During the summer of 2022, I realized that I had never hiked up to Snow Lake on Snoqualmie Pass! It was one of those iconic hikes commented on over and over again by folks on one of the hiking FB pages I follow, so I finally just decided to go for it.
The first part of the trail follows the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River up towards its source, and then cuts over a ridge to the north, and descends to Snow Lake below. It is basically 3.4 miles to the lake shore and it is a classic beauty. It’s also very popular and I arrived before 7 am to the trail head in September and plenty of folks were already there. The elevation gain is moderate with some switchbacks, but mainly the trail is a nice walk through the woods, with some rock to cross. Once you approach the lake, the trees open up and you can see the beauty of the surrounding peaks.
As you travel around the lake, the terrain becomes more rocky with lots of views. Then the trail climbs up some switchbacks and you can look back down on the lake. After some elevation gain, you get a beautiful view north with much of the North Cascade Range showing off right in front of you, with a magnificent u-shaped green valley below. There is another lake then visible right above Snow Lake called Gem Lake. After you bend around the north side of this lake, a side trail leads up Wright Mountain which I took. It was a fun little jaunt up to the top, and then you get a panoramic view, and the vast majority of hikers stop either at Snow Lake or some travel to Gem Lake. I was alone except for two other folks for the next few hours as I had lunch at the top and took pictures. Below, you can follow the views as I turned from east, to south, and west. Finally you can see the awe inspiring view to the north.
The way down was really fun with this hike as the views seemed so different with the afternoon light. The abundance of lakes defines this part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It was fun searching the horizon for little pools of blue.
I highly recommend this moderate day hike to experience some of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Bring your day pack, the ten essentials, and a good map as there are multiple trails to explore in this area. Given the amount of rock, I would wear a good pair of hiking boots, and I recommend hiking poles for balance. Be ready for 7.2 miles to Snow Lake and back and about 11 miles if you hike the whole route I describe above. This hike is a very different experience in the winter, with high avalanche danger. Be prepared and be realistic about your abilities!
For more information, visit the Washington Trail Association website for awesome information: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/snow-lake-1
Happy hiking!
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