Snow Lake with Ying, Marcus and Leah

July 6, 2026

Washington Trails Association page for this hike

Ying and I had considered this a moderate to easy hike, but the WTA page lists it as “Moderate/Hard”. So congrats are due to Marcus and Leah for taking this on as a first hike.

Marcus takes a photo of the scenery.

Hikers stopping for a photo.

Parts of the trail are out in the open hot sun. The hill is steep but gradual to hike with the switchbacks.

Hikers turning on a trail switchback and then heading up hill.

These large boulders are common in the area.

View of a hill of boulders.

I like to take advantage of the good lighting and scenic backgrounds for some portaits. Here is one of Marcus. My iPhone is set to Portrait mode, which causes the background to go softly out of focus.

Portait photo of Marcus.

Likewise, a portait of Leah taken with the lighting and scenery benefits.

Portrait photo of Leah.

Lots of vine maples, evergreens and mountainous rocks.

A view of the Pacific Northwest vegitation and mountainous scenery.

An interesting wildflower.

A yellow flower with red spots in a drooping and curled position.

Another scenic view along the hike.

A vioew of evergreen trees and a rocky mountainous ridge.

The rocks on the trail are sharp. With the position of the trees to the ground; this picture shows the angle of the hill being hiked across.

Hikers on a rocky switchback trail.

Another portrait opportunity as we stop for a brief rest.

Marcus

A portrait of Marcus.

Leah

A portrait of Leah.

Their “Ma” (grandma), Ying. Ha ha, if you look close you can see my reflection in her sunglasses.

A portrait of Ying.

Continuing up a hill.

Three hikers going uphill on the Snow Lake trail.

This is an interesting photo opportunity with the large steep rock wall at the end of a trail switchback.

View of the area that includes a large rock wall on the hillside.

When you reach the top, there is a viewing rock above the lake where you can get the iconic Snow Lake photo.

Hiker taking a photo of Snow Lake from a vantage point.

The viewing site is another portrait opportunity. We had to wait for other hikers to finish so we could take our photos.

Marcus

Portrait of Marcus above Snow Lake.

Leah

Portrait of Leah above Snow Lake.

Another iconic Snow Lake photo taken while traversing down the trail to it.

Snow Lake taken while traversing down the trail to it.

At the bottom of the trail to the lake is this amazing natural scene of a stream and pond. I look forward to seeing this every time I do this hike.

Angled rock with a stream running through it, dropping off to a small reflective pond.

Remains of some structure that includes a fireplace.

Site of decayed rock walls to a building structure that is nearly gone.

A view of the lake shore from just off the trail.

The shore of Snow Lake with shallow water showing the rocks and dirt below the water. A mountanous ridge is around the back end of the lake.

Leah posing on a wooden walkway that is part of the trail that goes around to the back of Snow Lake.

Leah with arms extended on a wooden path.

This is the furthest we went. We are on a small rock hill gives us another view of the lake.

A view of Snow Lake from the side.

Another portrait photo opportunity.

Marcus

Marcus with the out of focus Snow Lake in the background.

Leah

Leah with the slightly out of focus Snow Lake in the background.

Ying and I were happy that Marcus and Leah were able to have this experience with us. They were rock solid and handled it well.

From this point on the trail you can continue on to Gem Lake if you have the energy. It extends the length of the hike by quite a bit. Ying and I have done it several times, though it was rough going (at least for me) the first time round.

Home