We got to the parking lot just before 7:30 a.m. and were surprised at how many cars were already there! It's quite a large parking area, which is your first clue that this is a popular hike. The parking area is not far off the freeway and it's very easy to get to.
The first part of the trail is forested, and begins with stairs. The trail evens out for a while, which gives you a false impression of what's ahead. After about a mile to a mile and a half or so, the rocks begin and get progressively worse, as well as the incline.
The incline was fine, but the rocks made it a less enjoyable hike for me, not to mention the crowd.
The view at the top was gorgeous and a great place to have a rest and a snack. The wind was a little chilly but it kept the bugs away.
There were so many people that it took twice as long to get down because of the constant "pulling over" for the hikers and large groups going up.
We got back to the parking lot at noon and the parking lot was absolutely packed; a couple hundred cars at least. You can imagine that many cars and vans, many carrying up to 10 people, you do the math as to how many people were on that trail.
This is not a hike I would do again because of the terrain and the crowd. I'm a little sad about that because I'm sure I would love Gem Lake!
Comments
ngie on Snow Lake
In peak season (this is it), Snow Lake tends to be overly crowded. TBH, weekdays and later on in the day are potentially better.
Gem Lake is beautiful, but if the push to Snow Lake seemed difficult, getting up to Gem would be harder; there are some easier rock scrambles and rooty scrambles, but they’re more difficult than the way to Snow Lake.
Posted by:
ngie on Jul 14, 2019 07:04 PM