Tacking on for some bonus views

7/8/2025 Snow and Gem Lake

Our group of three picked the popular Snow Lake for a weekday hike. There were still lots of people, but not nearly as bad as reports of the weekend.

Our plan was to go to just go Snow Lake, but I had other thoughts. Once we arrived at the viewpoint halfway down the lake, one of the guys chose to swim in the lake, as he often does. The other two of us continued hiking.

At the end of the lake is the always-interesting log crossing. One a summer day, it is pretty straight forward, but I have crossed it before when it is iced over, and that makes for a memorable time.

Past Snow Lake, the trail climbs more aggressively up to Gem Lake. The best views of Snow Lake come from the far side, away from the crowds. There are a few small ponds before reaching Gem Lake, with a network of trails to explore.

Gem Lake is not as dramatic as Snow Lake, but the midday sun still produced brilliant blues and green. Unfortunately, the bugs were relentless, so it was best to keep the stop short and return to our friend. If you look carefully, you'll see a bug in front of the sky.