What a beautiful hike and the weather was perfect. At times I wish the clouds/fog were lower or gone, but this combination gave us a few spectacular views above the clouds. We didn't make it all the way to Lake Margaret, my dog had some issues with those snow conditions and the trail was not broken. We did make it to the top of Mount Margaret though.
We were the first car at the parking lot near the trailhead at about 9:10am. Maybe 3-4 other cars around 1pm when we got back. The road from Exit 54 was still open. No toilets at the trailhead or anywhere later on.
Met no one on the trail on the way up to Mount Margaret, but the trail was clearly broken quite nicely and the refrozen packed snow kept well. I don't think the the microspikes were necessary until the last ascent to Mount Margaret, but it was generally easier with them so I put them on as the trail crossed the logging road early on. I think those were necessary as we went up to Mount Margaret (last ascent) and possibly (if the snow melts), snowshoes.
Generally the trail to Mount Margaret was in a good shape, and we mostly just followed the steps or trail as it went on, sometimes departing slightly as needed. Last ascent was quite steep but lot of ways to go with the snow and it kept fairly well (refrozen top layer or packed).
The views were beautiful, esp. Mount Stuart, but the clouds were raising along the way, so it was always changing fast. On the way, we could also see Granite Mountain, Bandera Mountain, Silver Peak, Mount Catherine, and tip of Mount Rainier.
On the way back, I wanted to stop by Margaret Lake, but we gave up after probably 1/3 of the way from the fork. Lot of steps went wrong way, which was an easy fix. However, the trail was basically snow with crust on top after few obstacles (trees across but those were doable). My dog was struggling, if it was powder or hard enough to hold him, but he was clearly fighting it too much and I think he hurt his paw. It was also quite foggy, so it wasn't clear what views we could get. Snow was at least up to the knees, so a few feet probably. We decided to just go back.
Altogether it was 6.01 miles, 1,949 ft total ascent, and 3:18 moving time. I would have gone down to the lake if I wasn't worried about my dog, we're planning to hike again on Wednesday. But it was a beautiful hike, my first time to Mount Margaret (although I often visit this and other lakes nearby).
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