Snow and Gem Lakes
Oct. 11th, 2026 08:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tiggymalvern
Snow Lake is amazing - I've been there quite a few times over the years. I've always been aware that you can go further and continue on to Gem Lake, but the trail is rocky, can be a little hard to follow, and I've always been thinking of time considerations or just been having too pleasant a time sitting by Snow Lake.
The other problem with Snow Lake being amazing is that everybody knows it. It is not a place to go in August. But midweek on a sunny and still-warm October day is perfect :-) There are still some people around, but you can hike listening to the cries of the pikas and not blaring music. And this time I deliberately set out earlier and made sure I'd have time to do Gem Lake too.
Meadow just beyond the parking at Alpental ski area, with some lingering pearly everlasting flowers and old man's beard in the foreground.
Sunlit autumn slopes, as the trail climbs up to the ridge.
Looking down on Snow Lake on the descent into the lake basin.
Crossing the creek that flows into Snow Lake.
The trail winds along the eastern and northern shores of Snow Lake, and that's when it gets hard, because it's almost impossible to stop taking photos of Snow Lake. The colours in the water...
The Gem Lake trail climbs up to the ridge above the next valley for a while.
And then wanders back down to the shore of Snow Lake where you cross the outflow creek on a log. More impossible to resist water with amazing reflections at the outflow.
The trail then climbs back up the ridge again, and this time it's staying higher. A small meadow pond a bit above Snow Lake.
Crossing another meadow at the ridge top.
There's a brief respite along the ridgeline again.
Then another session of climbing towards a very rocky scree slope bowl, with some last glimpses down into Snow Lake and the vertiginous slopes at its western end.
A few more golden meadows below as you reach the other side of the scree bowl.
A creek right before you reach Gem Lake.
And then there it is, with the sapphire blue that justifies its name and Wright Mountain behind it. It was breezier up there, not so good for reflections.
But just as incredible for water colour.
A meadow pond alongside Gem Lake.
And then it's the return trip, with the Gem Lake section in particular no faster than the hike up because of picking your way down loose rocky trail. That whole section did take longer than I'd hoped, and confirmed that I'd make the right choice on previous trips where I'd been debating whether I'd have the time.
Impossible to resist a bit more photography as you pass Snow Lake again.
A chipmunk says, 'Hey, this is my trail! What are you doing on it?'
Crossing some of those gorgeous slopes again on the way back to the car.
A little over 10 miles/ 16km with 2800 feet / 853m of gain and a max height of 4857 feet / 1480m. 5.5 hours.
The other problem with Snow Lake being amazing is that everybody knows it. It is not a place to go in August. But midweek on a sunny and still-warm October day is perfect :-) There are still some people around, but you can hike listening to the cries of the pikas and not blaring music. And this time I deliberately set out earlier and made sure I'd have time to do Gem Lake too.
Meadow just beyond the parking at Alpental ski area, with some lingering pearly everlasting flowers and old man's beard in the foreground.
Sunlit autumn slopes, as the trail climbs up to the ridge.
Looking down on Snow Lake on the descent into the lake basin.
Crossing the creek that flows into Snow Lake.
The trail winds along the eastern and northern shores of Snow Lake, and that's when it gets hard, because it's almost impossible to stop taking photos of Snow Lake. The colours in the water...
The Gem Lake trail climbs up to the ridge above the next valley for a while.
And then wanders back down to the shore of Snow Lake where you cross the outflow creek on a log. More impossible to resist water with amazing reflections at the outflow.
The trail then climbs back up the ridge again, and this time it's staying higher. A small meadow pond a bit above Snow Lake.
Crossing another meadow at the ridge top.
There's a brief respite along the ridgeline again.
Then another session of climbing towards a very rocky scree slope bowl, with some last glimpses down into Snow Lake and the vertiginous slopes at its western end.
A few more golden meadows below as you reach the other side of the scree bowl.
A creek right before you reach Gem Lake.
And then there it is, with the sapphire blue that justifies its name and Wright Mountain behind it. It was breezier up there, not so good for reflections.
But just as incredible for water colour.
A meadow pond alongside Gem Lake.
And then it's the return trip, with the Gem Lake section in particular no faster than the hike up because of picking your way down loose rocky trail. That whole section did take longer than I'd hoped, and confirmed that I'd make the right choice on previous trips where I'd been debating whether I'd have the time.
Impossible to resist a bit more photography as you pass Snow Lake again.
A chipmunk says, 'Hey, this is my trail! What are you doing on it?'
Crossing some of those gorgeous slopes again on the way back to the car.
A little over 10 miles/ 16km with 2800 feet / 853m of gain and a max height of 4857 feet / 1480m. 5.5 hours.
no subject
Date: 2026-10-11 06:18 pm (UTC)Do you ever go for a swim in those lakes?
no subject
Date: 2026-10-11 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-10-11 07:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-10-11 07:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-10-11 09:52 pm (UTC)Aww, chipmunk ❤️
So green and cool and lovely. Thanks for sharing these
no subject
Date: 2026-10-12 12:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-10-11 11:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-10-12 01:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-10-12 05:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-10-12 01:45 pm (UTC)As it gets into mid October now, there won't be too many of those fabulous days left before it all turns to grey and rain....