Snow Lake Trailhead — Attraction in North Bend

Get next to the lake to see the igredient!! -

We came here on a Sunday and the huge parking lot was quite full, but we managed to get the last few spots around 10:30 am. Tons of people parked poorly, leaving less space for others to park. Be extra careful driving in the parking lot as people lack common sense and won't move when you drive next to them lol.

There is a bathroom next to the parking lot, but they ran out of toilet paper when we came down in the afternoon. There is a sign talking about explosives, but we believe it'd be fine if we stay on the trail lol. The road condition was alright, and the higher you get, the more rocks there are on the road. I didn't think it was particularly difficult as my friends and I were talking nonstop. Once you get to the top, you get to choose to go to the left for the overlook or go down further to get closer to the lake. I did the former the first time I was here, and surprisingly I had the energy to walk further this time.

We went all the way down for the lake and that part was more muddy. We didn't go to the lake access, but stayed on the trail to the right and got to an area with less people next to the water. Our friend even jumped in for a swim. The weather was extremely nice, so it was a bit hot eating lunch there for like 30 minutes. The view was totally worth it as you can only see the beautiful igredient of color from green to blue when you get close.

Each way is about 3.2-3.3 miles. We spent 2 hours up and 1.5 hour down. I burned 902 calories based on my watch. There were tons of people on the trail and tons of dogs too. I actually didn't see a lot of parents with children on their back here. We did witness a kid crying because he didn't want to go down to the lake as he could see the lake from the top. Poor guy must be exhausted...

The parking lot was still quite full when we came down, but there were more space in the back (about 60% full). Make sure to wear hiking boots as the road near the top was...

What a hike! We did Snow Lake to Gem Lake to Wright Mountain to Lower Wildcat Lake to Upper Wildcat Lake. Got to the parking lot about a quarter after 8AM on a Monday, lots of parking available still. The path goes steadily uphill for a while with awesome views of the I-90 although it was pretty hazy due to fires. The path then goes down to Snow Lake which was pretty, not very many people, bugs were annoying but I put on bug spray before the hike and re-applied throughout the hike. There's a section that goes up to Gem Lake, which was pretty and a bit less hazy than Snow Lake. We then jutted off to the right to Wright Mountain which required crossing some boulder fields but it wasn't too bad. No breeze at the top and totally sun-exposed, so we didn't stay up there for too long but the 360 views were amazing! (But also hazy unfortunately). We went back down to Gem Lake and hiked over to Lower and Upper Wildcat Lakes. There are a lot of switchbacks going down to the Wildcat Lakes, and we finally made it after five hours of moving time. The lake was pretty big and quite pretty, saw a total of three people after Gem Lake the entire time. The water wasn't too cold, there were some bugs, and there was shade. On the way back, we lost the trail a bit between Upper and Lower Wildcat and bushwhacked pretty hard back to the path, and we refilled our water on the way back at the stream. The switchbacks weren't too steep but going back up on them after already doing 11-12 miles wasn't super pleasant, at least it was in the shade! Gem Lake's water wasn't too cold either, was refreshing. We also stopped at the lookout point for Snow Lake which surprisingly had nobody there, and on the way back down to the car from Snow Lake, we passed by more people coming up. The path is pretty rocky between the parking lot and Snow Lake. Moving time took us about 9.5 hours, totaled around 11 hours. Great long challenging hike filled with lakes and a...

August ‘19 trail report.

Not my favorite trail. When I go hiking I prefer a level of solitude and this is definitely not the place for it. Arrived at 8:30am on a Sunday and the parking was already spilling over into the overflow parking. Northwest Forest Pass required or its $5 cash at the trailhead.

The biggest drawback to this trail is how incredible popular it is. There isn’t a lot of shade for a good part of it, and my fiancé and I encountered quite a few parties with no trail etiquette. Please make it enjoyable for everyone by: 1) not cutting switchbacks; 2) keeping your audio to yourself. Not everyone wants to be “blessed” by your music choices. 3) can’t believe I have to say this, but picking up after your dog. If you choose to bring a dog, pack it in or bury it. 4) staying to the inside of the trail if someone wants to pass you. 5) letting people on the harder side of the trail pass first.

We navigated this just fine. It’s a fine trail for solo women travelers - if you’re worried about going on a trail, there’s plenty of traffic. Once we got to the lake, people were shouting across the lake at each other and it kind of felt like a party lake. Wasn’t relaxing at all. Spent maybe 25 minutes at the lake before turning and heading back. 2 hours in, 2-ish hours out. By the time we were about halfway back, we were constantly stopping to let the groups of uphill traffic pass.

Not a relaxing trail by any means, but it was a nice view.

And a general warning to everyone hiking - TAKE EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR CAR before you go. All your jackets, all your snacks, all your change and sunglasses and national park passes. Leave your windows all the way rolled up and take all backpacks, duffels, satchels, purses, etc. Never leave anything in your car.

Thanks and...