started up about 1pm on Saturday, the first 1/2 mile was easy enough without snowshoes but we quickly transitioned to fully covered and for the most part there wasn't any broken trail (one other hiker had been up before use without snowshoes they were unable to get all the way up). It was warm and the sun was shining made for a fairly enjoyable trek, we took the grindstone cutoffs the trail was well marked with blazing but there was no tracks to follow. The last mile was a real slog as the sun had baked the snow on the road and with our heavy packs we were breaking through and sinking all over, defiantly tier 2 fun. no one had left any tracks at the camp ground and the vault toilets were open and in good condition. overnight lows didnt get below 30 and in the morning we had planned to go further up but were socked in with clouds so we headed back. The trip down was much easier with firmer snow and a broken trail (and down hill! lol). over all a great weekend with my boys in the mountains. if you want to make it up you really need snowshoes, snow at the lake was 4-6 feet and most of the road had several feet.

Was a beautiful bluebird day today. We were first at the trailhead at 9am. The road up is always riddled with potholes. Ground clearance is a must anytime of year(local here). Was a bit icy on the drive up, but no snow on the road over 2 inches deep all the way to the parking area, easy for my 4x4 fullsize truck. We started up the road with Microspikes and took the Grindstone short cuts. The trail was obviously traveled and easy to follow, even without too much attention paid to the orange markers in the trees. On the road at the Tolmie Peak trailhead we both started to post hole from the snow baking in the morning sun. We both switched to snowshoes. Back on our leisure stroll to the Mowich Lake campground. Arrived at 11:30am with about 3 1/2 to 4 feet of snow. The Lake was completely covered and we followed the already traveled path to the cabin on the south east side of the lake. To our pleasant surprise, someone had already dug a foot hole to sit on the ground like a bench. We took in the beauty and rested with lunch. Then we headed back down. In to the first (downhill) section of Grindstone we had slipping issues with the terrain and our Snowshoes, so we switched back to Microspikes. Saw our first passer by of the day about 1/2 way back down. Probably passed 10-15 more people on the rest of the way back with about 15ish vehicles in the parking area when we returned to the trailhead at 3pm. Was a fantastic day.

What a great day. Trail/road is in great condition. We parked at the Paul Peak TH, road was mostly snow free just a little when we got close to the parking lot. Bathrooms at parking lot are open and clean. Walked the road up to the Grindstone then took that up to the Lake. Made it to the Mowich Lake Campground with no problems. Used microspikes, had our snowshoes but we didn’t need to use them at all. Bathrooms at the Campground also open. 

What an amazing day!  Nice track for boots or micros, depending g on your level of comfort.  We went up in spikes but went down with just boots.  Made it only to the road halfway up the Grindstone.  One "spicy" but passable creek crossing on Grindstone. The clouds were lovely and blue skies stunning.  No difficulties along the way, cept one lump of snow that stopped my foot while my body continued forward.  Luckily my face broke the fall but trust me on this; slide your hands thru pole straps AS RECOMMENDED.  Doing it wrong can, as they say, cause problems.  Luckily my thumb is not broken, but it is sprained.  The soft landing likely helped minimize damage.  

There is wildlife present as the pawprints will indicate, so stay aware of surroundings

Now....about that road.... It is  "passable" by most  cars BUT it is BRUTAL.  I mean fn brutal.  I was aired down in a jeep and it was rough even then.  Plan to take your time.  It's at least 30 min up the road with my clearance and air pressure.  

Parked at Paul Peak which I would expect is pbly fairly snow free but we did not explore the trail.  

Overall, if you are looking to snowshoe, you can.  If you are not wanting to snowshoe, the boot path is pretty darn good right now.   

Started in fog and drizzle but ended up climbing out of it for a beautiful day. The road is full of potholes as always but there are some sections that are so very bad and you can't avoid them. I wouldn't recommend taking a car up right now. We didn't encounter any snow on the road until just before the parking area. We stopped for the restroom, which is open and clean, and then parked in a small area up by the gate.
Started out in just microspikes and poles and packed my snowshoes. The snow was a little thin and definitely firm. We took the grindstone trail cutoff, which is well marked and easy to follow. About halfway up the grindstone I needed to swap to snowshoes.
We opted to go all the way to the campground and take the trail down to the lake where we sat for lunch and to soak up the sunshine. It was so beautiful. It felt like spring as snow was melting and falling off trees.
On the way down the snow had softened and I kept my snowshoes on. I took the grindstone trail back and my husband was on skis. It wasn't the best ski day but he still had fun. He would meet me at the road crossings. I was glad I took the cutoff trail as it is a pretty long trek in snowshoes as the snow got wet and heavy on the way down.
Beautiful day and a trail I would definitely do again!