Snow Lake
Snoqualmie Region
As of February 8, 2026, the main trail to Snow Lake is snow-covered and stable, requiring traction devices like microspikes. Access to Denny Creek trailhead remains blocked. Beyond the ridge to the lake, conditions are still suitable for spikes with occasional potholes.
For those aiming for Gem Lake, the log crossing is inaccessible. An alternative involves wet feet crossing the outlet stream, followed by snowshoes. The steep talus slope before the trail drops to Gem Lake is too exposed and deep in snow for safe passage. Reports from December mention significant fresh snow (1-2 feet on Dec 27) and avalanche concerns on steeper slopes, sometimes requiring snowshoes or making breaking trail difficult. The road to Alpental was reported as rough but passable with 4WD in late December, while earlier in November, it was snow-covered and icy.
generated from 87 reports
Conditions at a Glance
Trail
Trail in good condition
1 of 2
Snow
Trail snow-covered at times - gear and expertise recommended
1 of 2
Road
Road suitable for all vehicles
1 of 2
Bugs
No bugs
2 of 2
Sources
The weather forecast looked stable. The avalanche forecast looked promising, so I decided to hike up one of the mountain trails on Sunday. I was hoping to gain access to Denny Creek to photograph Keek...
Snowshoes highly recommended. We saw some people using just their boots, and you could see 1-foot-deep holes from where they fell in occasionally. The trail was well established until it slopes began ...
Had an exemplary first date with an extraordinary woman ski touring up to Snow lake with near perfect conditions.09:30: Arrived in the main Alpental parking lot alongside a couple other parties showin...
Whole trail had around 1 to 6 inches of fresh snow along with continuous snow falling thoughout the hike. I had spikes that worked decent but kept balling so snow shoes might now be the better option....
The Snow Lake trail was fairly busy Saturday, and showed no significant damage from the recent deluge. There were a couple of short icy spots on the switchbacks up to the pass, and about 2/3 snow cov...
A beautiful day on the trail. The trail was 99% snow-covered and we used microspikes from the start. Spikes provided great traction and are highly recommended. We hiked over the saddle and down to...
The road from Seattle all the way to the trailhead is free of snow. No fee required right now since the bathroom is closed. The trail has packed down snow from the trailhead all the way to the top. At...
Summer is over. Leave the flipflops at home.
Humidity was 100% but precipitation 0% so it was interesting to hike in a very humid environment. There was partial fog, which added to the mystique, but also made it impossible to see the lake. Surpr...
Trail super busy on a beautiful Sunday in late fall. Lots of snow on the switchbacks and by the lake itself, spikes made a big difference.Just want to flag that ground has fallen out on the far edges ...
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