© Nathan Hinthorne
Contact:
Snow Lake
Trail Journal
The route opens by climbing through old forests before revealing a basin of glacier-fed blue water that feels carved from the sky.
Distance
10.0 miles
Gain
2,800 ft
Best for
Alpine lakes
Mood
Blue and bright
Field note
The basin arrives in layers.
The first section feels quiet and wooded, but every bend in the trail brings a little more light and a little more altitude. By the time the lake comes into view, the whole landscape feels wider and more dramatic.
Approach
Steady climbs and switchbacks carry you through an evergreen corridor.
Reward
The lake basin becomes a bright mirror framed by dark ridgelines.
The payoff
A blue basin that feels suspended in the mountains.
The final section opens onto a wide, striking view of Snow Lake and the surrounding ridges. It is a place that seems to hold both calm and altitude at once.
