Snow Lake Trail, Washington, United States

5Randal S 5:00 PM Oct 4, 2008

The Colors of Fall on the Bench and Snow Lakes Trail
If you enter Mt. Rainier National Park at Steven Canyon, the trail head is about 1 mile before Louise Lake and Reflection Lake on the left side of the road. It is clearly marked and there is parking space for a number of cars. This is a fairly easy trail that is made even more spectacular by the colors out this fall. From Bench Lake, the views of Mt. Rainier are spectacular as well as the peaks of the Goat Rocks WIlderness and Tatoosh Range. A bit under two miles you will find the maintained trail ends, but the trail itself continues and is in good condition (as of this posting). Even on a rainy day with no view of Mt. Rainier, this trail is worth the effort. Absolutely stunning. It is probably a good idea to make noise as you move through the area in the Fall because the bears are out and active. We saw a black bear with her two cubs in this area and we had a close - very close - encounter with a brown bear. While they really pose no risk (there has never been a bear attack in the park in over 100 years), it is best not to startle one just as best practice. If you like to sing aloud, this would be a good time to practice.

4Roadtrip E 5:00 PM Oct 5, 2014

It's short, but...
I've got to disagree with some other reviewers as to just how 'easy' this is and I say that as a caution to older hikers. I've been to Snow Lake four times now, most recently in early Oct. with my soon to be 8 year old granddaughter. We had a blast. In my younger days, (I'm 63), I carried our infant son up there on my back, took him on his first backpacking trip there, and passed the lake on the way to a summit climb of Unicorn Peak. It was easy in those days. Now, I was tired. There are a lot of ups and then downs (which of course become ups on the way back). The ups are quite steep and have been stepped and some of the steps are quite high. I find this type of hiking tougher than a plain steep trail both going up and down. So, if you're older, just be prepared. That said, it's a great hike with beautiful views of the lakes and the mountain.