The road up to the trailhead is in good condition until near the top, then there are quite a bit of potholes, we ended up parking down the road in a pullout. Arrived to the trailhead around 2pm, parking lot was half full. Very foggy/misty day so there were no views, but there were lots of lovely wildflowers and the foliage was very green. The uphill switchbacks are unrelenting but not too bad since the hike up is short. Saw quite a few other hikers and dogs. Near the top after the end of the switchbacks there are some snowy spots. Did not get to the true summit as it was quite snowy and slippery, snow should be gone in a few weeks. Saw two marmots on the way down.

Great time on Sauk. Wild flowers starting to bloom, great views. Once you get to the to and round the other side, SO much snow. Pup was happy! Wasn't expecting it but loved it! Road is like it always is, a little bumpy in places. My Mazda 2 did just fine. Please dot take the short cuts straight up, it leads to erosion, and this trail needs to last for FOREVER! its the best.

Stunning right from the parking lot and just gets better, but not quite thawed out yet. Yes, you can get to the summit, but there are several sections in between with slushy snow and a 1000 ft slide that wasn't worth it for us. We had spikes, poles, and hike all winter long, but we and several other groups all assessed this as unsafe.It is still avalanche season. We also attempted the lake and got within a few switchbacks about 500 ft above it before turning back. I would give the peak a couple more weeks at least and the lake several to thaw out a bit more and be safer. Lots of marmots out too :-D 

Video is of the worst bits of the drive.  

Road/Parking: The road was bad and definitely not recommended for a sedan if you like your car, but not too bad for an SUV with ~8.7 inches of clearance. There were some big holes, but it was all doable slowly, that said it was long and quite steep in sections. Parking at 8:30 only had a few cars, but by the time we left, a little after noon, it was overflowing and more people were still coming (it had also gone from misty to mostly clear by then). The road wasn't real narrow, but often not wide enough for two way traffic so we had to back up several times on the way down to let people pass. There is a th pit toilet and it wasn't too bad.

Trail: We started out with a moody morning with mist swirling around us, but a clear view to the stunning river below. The trail had lots of flowers, especially towards the top. The tread could use some work in some places. Lots of erosion cutting away at the trail from cutting switchbacks near the start and towards the top a few spots are crumbly and very narrow. Nothing crazy, but not somewhere I would take someone with height issues or unsteady feet. A couple of the corners require what some might consider mini scrambles or big steps up rocks. There is no shade, except for on a couple of the corners about halfway up. 

No snow until you round the backside of the ridge, right by the junction with the lake trail. 

Lake: It was cloudy when we got up there, so we decided to attempt the lake first. The first snow section was slushy and steep but we could see the trail on the other side. The first 1/2 mile or so was intermittent snow, until we reached the gully, then it got fairly constant and there were some huge tree wells to navigate. On one steep section one person from out group punched through into a hidden one up to their thighs. Eventually we hit some switchbacks that were impossible to navigate with the steep snow and turned back. We could see clean switchback below us, but we couldn't quite get to it. 

Peak: We didn't get very far beyond the lake split. By the time we got back from our lake attempt the clouds had opened a bit. We took in the views as we walked towards the peak, but soon found a section that was on a pretty good angle that continued all the way down to the lake. We didn't trust the slushy snow so we called it. Since the trail wraps around the mountain you get all the vies either way, just not at once. 

Stats: With lots of route finding and snow shenanigans we clocked 4.6 miles, 1550 ft elevation gain/loss, 2.75 hours moving, 3.5 total. We are moderate/fast hikers who hike weekly. 

Rating:  5 of 5 stars!
My opinions:  This is a fantastic hike!  Views were awesome! Wildflowers were nice—flock, lilies and pretty white flowers.  In past years, I have been with acres of wildflowers in bloom, but I think I was too early for this abundant bloom.  Still, there were pretty flowers.  This is such a wonderful hike on a sunny day. 
There is snow the last ½ mile, when you go to the backside of the mountain.  We made it though the snow without YakTraxs.  I’m glad I had poles.
There are a lot of people doing this hike!  Crowded on a Sunday, but still worth going!
The hike is moderate, probably for beginners who are in decent shape, with incredible views from the parking lot and all the way up!  I think there are better views here than Mt Pilchuck, but this hike is much easier.  Most of the elevation gain is at the beginning, so once you get to what it looks like is the top, there is still more to go, but the elevation gain is much easier.
I highly recommend hiking poles—especially for the switch-back turns and on the snow.
Sauk Mountain is a longer drive from the Seattle area, but worth the drive!  You can also combine this hike with Baker Hot Springs, to get the most out of your trip north (but the road has a lot of very bad pot-holes).
Parking & Road Conditions: The road has lots of pot-holes, but if you go slowly, they aren’t horrible.  I’d suggest an SUV.  A Toyota Avalon made it to the top!  I got there at about 12 am and there were 3 parking spots open.
Snow:  Some at the top.  I did not put on Yak-tracks, but I used poles to help me.
Trail & trail conditions:  Great.  A little muddy & snowy at the top.  Watch for loose rocks.
Bugs:  None.
Time:  4.5 hours for a 67-year-old, which included a 30-minute rest at the top.  I took lots and lots of photos of and panoramic views of many mountains.
Views:  Incredible mountain views!  Beautiful river and valley views from the trail. 
Flowers:  Lilies, Small white flowers, and lots of lavender Flock.
Misc:  Although the shortcuts are very tempting, please do not use them.  If you use the short-cuts, you increase the chances for erosion. 

Arrived at the trailhead at 9:30am - we were the 6th car in the little lot.  We were back at the car at 1pm.  

No water on the trail so we packed plenty for the dog (soon to be 10 year old that weighs 95lb, his max hiking temp is 72 degrees).  The pinpoint weather was a high of 64 degrees with some high cloud covers. So I carried 1 liter of chicken broth and 1/2 liter of regular water for him.  He went through it all.  We left his wet hiking shirt at home on accident, so he was a dry dog today.  

snow starts as you turn onto the NE side of the mountain. Couple patches then turns solid on the last stretch to the summit.  We were fine in trailrunners, hiking poles, and microspikes.  There is a big slide down if u lose ur footing, and it would suck.  So just be sure of ur footing and comfort level. 

My dog and I stopped 6 feet from the summit - The snow is melting fast where it meets the rocky summit.  My hiking partner postholed to his thigh.  My dog is apprehensive when he nears snow bridges / hollowed snow.  So, we tried a couple different spots so to get off the snow in a safer spot.  But tbh, it all looked mush and melting.  My hiking partner made it to the summit - but I held onto my dog and we stayed back.  No regrets.  

the views were still awesome.  The wildflowers were out. Marmots were out (saw and heard at least 3).  Saw maybe 15 humans total today.  Weekday hiking for the win.