Although the snow is frequently thin at the base of this trail, the route climbs quickly and snowshoes are needed not only for flotation but also for traction on the steep slopes. The workout is extensive, but the rewards are phenomenal. The trail follows a beautiful tumbling creek as it rushes down a narrow gorge. Along the way, the creek drops over no fewer than four pretty waterfalls, with each successive one sporting larger and more intricate ice mantles.
If the snow is thin at this low-elevation trailhead, strap your snowshoes on the back of your pack and hike up the trail until the snow deepens. The trail climbs gradually for 0.25 mile, then turns straight up the creek valley and rolls through a long series of switchbacks. Frequently, even if the snow isn't deep, snowshoes will be required simply because the beefy crampons on their base afford a sure grip on the slick trail.
The first waterfall is passed 0.5 mile up the trail, and then more are seen at 1 mile, 1.2 miles, and 1.5 miles. Just past the third waterfall, the trail levels out (relatively speaking) as it rolls west along the hillside for several hundred yards before turning back toward the creek. It passes through a couple of these longer, more moderate switchbacks before making a long, straight traverse back to the creek at the fourth falls. From there, it's a 0.25-mile climb to the lakeshore.
This trail is steeper and the lake more remote than the nearby Heather Lake route (Route 21), but it is also less visited in winter months. Some of the open slopes above the trail, especially on the upper reaches, are prone to slide in moderate to high avalanche conditions, so use caution.
We went in January - which is usually completely off limits unless you want to snowshoe in. We went with the intentions to snowshoe but there was no snow! We even noticed that the glaciers were smaller in the Winter then they were this past Fall!!
