I hiked up the Mongogram Lake/Lookout Mountain Lookout trail not sure where I would end up due to the significant avalanche conditions. I ended up heading up to the ridgeline between Monogram Lake and Lookout Mountain Lookout to avoid potential avalanche danger.

The snow starts just before you reach the first clearing at approximately 1.5 miles from the start (at an elevation of 3,000 feet). This clearing also had the last water source I found until the lake. At first the snow was fairly hard packed and so I used trail spikes and no snow shoes. From the first clearing, I diverted from the summer trail by walking straight in the first clearing until the clearing ended. Then I headed directly up the ridgeline heading northeast until I reached the crest of the ridgeline. This was a very steep route gaining about 1,500 feet in under a mile. I was glad I had my spikes for this. Luckily, the snow was hard packed the entire way up the ridgeline.

However, when I reached the ridge, I started sinking in the snow either up to my knee or all the way to my waist so I threw on my snowshoes. I continued up the ridgeline avoiding steep terrain but ended up turning around early due to avalanche danger and the need to go cross or under steep slopes to proceed.

The snow on the way down in the woods was hard packed and great for glissading. I was able to descend the few thousand feet on the ridgeline very quickly.

Pictures of avalanches below. Also, I added a link below to a 360 photo that I added to google earth taken from the ridgeline. The 360 shows both the route to Monogram Lake and lookout mountain lookout if you want to see the snow conditions.

Fantastic hike to (almost) Little Devil Peak, but I found an iPhone on the summit of the high point just to the SW of Little Devil peak (el 6840 and change - doesn’t get a number on my map). 

Green phone, black case, I’d love to return it! Please reach out if it’s yours. 

Road: pretty simple, 7 miles off Hwy 20 of easy and enjoyable pavement with great views.

Trail: the first 1/2 before the junction was steep but nice tread and decent switchbacks…though there is an overgrown section with lots of vegetation (including some wayward stinging nettles) that you have to bushwhack through. The second half once you hit the junction throws switchbacks to the wind and you just go straight up…so my legs tell me. Water sources were nicely spaced, though I didn’t actually need to fill anything until I got to the lake. 
Wildflowers  were still present around the lake, as were lots of blueberries. Saw 6 individual black bears, one of which was a pretty cinnamon bear that 2 fellow hikers excitedly and inaccurately described as a “grizzly”. Anyways. Black bear that was brown. They were all well-behaved. There were about 6 trees over the trail that needed clambering over or around. 
Please follow LNT guidelines if you visit, I.e., use the provided pit toilet and the provided tent and cook areas. 

To begin, permits are now required and must be paid for at the ranger station for the North Cascades National Park, even for back-country permits. It was a surprise, but not surprising. Bear barrels or the equivalent are required for this area. There were bears within 1/4 mile of the lake, but they were not a problem.

The trail is strenuous, right from the start. It moderates slightly when you hit a bench after about one and a half miles, and the stream at 2.8 miles is a welcome stop. This is one of only a few water access points. There are several large trees across the trail to break up the climb. The fork up toward the lake comes soon after the stream, and the National Park begins soon after that. More forested switchbacks, and then you get to a welcome alpine meadow, complete with butterflies and mid-summer blooms. And more up, but there are views. Rounding the shoulder of the abutment and the high point at around 5400', the trail then loses about 400' getting to the lake, with plenty of mountains to look at. At the lake is an official campsite and others well away from the lake to save the shoreline and provide privacy. There is an outhouse, but sadly, it was lacking views. The lake itself is beautiful.

Though there is the possibility of a great, though strenuous, hike off-trail up to Devil Ridge from the trail down to the lake, the next day I chose to go to Lookout Mountain instead to avoid an open slope on a very hot day. So it was back up the trail, down to the fork, and up to the lookout. On the way is another meadow with more wildflowers (berries are almost ripe), and a tiny snow patch by the lookout. Plan to spend some time at the lookout -- you can see from Mt. Baker to the Picketts down to Glacier Peak, with a lot in between. It's worth the trip, honest.

Day one was 5.6 miles, up approximately 4000' down 400'. Day two was 9.3 miles, up 1900', down 5300'.

This one had been on my list for a while so I was excited to get out there, unfortunately I was short on time so I didn’t make it all the way to the lake. I passed some backpackers coming down from the lake who said it was great but buggy.
The trail description should read “Don’t be a wuss, you’re going to climb straight up this mountain while being assaulted by flying insects and stinging nettle.”
WEAR PANTS. I wore shorts and there was so much regret. The flies were terrible and got worse as I climbed. There is a very overgrown section of trail that’s full of stinging nettle. Watch your step as the overgrowth conceals the rocks and roots you need to pick your way over. I had a snack break at about 3.6 miles in at a lovely meadow full of wildflowers. Saw some bear tracks in the mud but no bears. Turned around there and headed back to the car. According to my Garmin, the trail gains about 1000 ft of elevation per mile. Trail is in good shape except the overgrown section (less than 0.5 mile) and about 8 large trees that require climbing over or around. There are two pullouts on Cascade River Road for parking. I only passed 6 people going up and down. Worth the hike but go with long sleeves and pants and bug repellent!