Began our hike at 7:45 am on Saturday. 51F outside with low clouds and wispy fog at start. Roads from the interstate to the Alpental parking lot were passable for all cars. Parking lot was ~25% full when we arrived and full when we returned at 12:45 pm. The trail to Snow Lake is well-marked and well-maintained. Approx 1,280 feet of elevation gain over 3.23 miles to the lake; the climb is slow, steady, and more approachable than the steeper ascents along much of the I-90 corridor. We continued to Gem Lake, arriving about an hour later after traveling the additional 1.9 miles and 960 feet of elevation. Great colors in the lake and far fewer people here than at Snow Lake. There were 2-3 forks along the path from Snow to Gem that were not well-marked, but we were able to find our way by choosing a direction, continuing 10-20 feet along it, and assessing whether we could clearly identify the path continuing ahead.
~5 hours for 10.1 miles and 2,782 ft of elevation gain roundtrip.
Comments