The hike started in a light drizzle under the canopy of the forest but the rain got stronger about halfway through and I had to put on the waterproof pants. There was a cool mist hanging in the trees and the hike passes a number of interesting trees including old growth stumps of 6-10 foot diameter that had been harvested. Much of the trail was like walking on a trickling little stream, and the rain and snowmelt created a handful of sizable stream crossings along the way. About 1/3 of a mile from the lake the first bits of snow started cropping up and within no time you are hiking in snow that is still 5-12 feet in depth as you approach the lake. Watch out for thin areas on the trail where the runoff has eroded the snow under the path.. you could step into a deep hole. The low clouds kept the full view of pilchuck obscured and over half the lake is still covered by ice and snow. The face of Pilchuck had many little runoff 'waterfalls' cascading down towards the lake. It was a nice tranquil hike in the rain... I passed a total of 4 groups on my way in and 2 heading out.

The first half of the Heather Lake trail is snow-free and is in good shape. The second half of the trail is on snow but is easy to follow. There is still about 8-10 feet of snow at the lake! We saw debris from several natural avalanches coming off the cliffs at the end of the lake.

When I arrived at the Verlot Ranger station, at about 9:30am, there was about three inches of snow. At the trailhead about 5-7 inches. I ended up parking about a 1/2 mile below the trailhead because I didn't have 4-wheel drive. We had snowshoes, but didn't bring them, they weren't needed for a majority of the trail. As we climbed in elevation the snow began to get deeper. By time we reached the lake it was between 10 and 15 feet! The view was amazing, even though it was overcast. Most of the lake was covered with snow, and as we sat down to eat lunch it hailed for about 10 minutes. We only passed 4 people on the way up and 4 on the way down. We recomend that you stay on the trail, because of tree wells and other 15 foot holes that can easily escape your vision. Bring a camera and play in the snow!

Snowshoes are helpful to get to the lake. Snow was encountered from the trailhead with snow covering the trail above 2000 feet. There is one large windfall at 2100 feet. The lake is mostly frozen. Snow depth at the lake is about one foot.

This trail has seen so much maintenance it’s in really great shape. The snow starts a little less than a mile away from the lake. The lake isn’t frozen yet, but is starting to turn slushy. I was hoping to have a chance to check out the new trail around the lake, but it was difficult to find in the snow.