The trailhead shares the parking lot with the Mission Ridge ski resort so you'll be on a nice paved road the entire way (read --> all cars welcome!). We purposely got a late start (on the trail at 2pm), to maximize the afternoon sunlight on the larches which was our purpose in selecting this hike. Most of the trail was covered with loose / wet snow and other parts were either mildly icy or muddy. Gaitors might be useful if you plan to go off trail where the snow is thicker, but we didn't use them. Similarly, we didn't use Micro-spikes either which were probably of little use in these conditions but I do highly recommend trekking poles. This was one of the very few hikes I can honestly say trekking poles (with snow baskets), made a huge difference. I used them the entire way up and down and I almost never use them on hikes. Although mostly snow covered, the trail is still very easy to follow.
The larches didn't disappoint and seemed to be in their full glory, which come into full view just about the time you reach the first (frozen over) lake in about 45 minutes. In another 15-20 minutes you'll reach the second lake (also frozen over) where you can relax nestled in a thicket of larches. After enjoying the view, we decided to carefully head back before the sun set beyond the hills and we still had amazing sunlight. Roundtrip including a 15 min break for a snack was about 2.25 hours which I'm sure could be done quicker without the snow factor.
Tom
Comments