Hiking at Snow Lake

Hiking at Snow Lake in the Washington Cascades

After two back-to-back weekends in Portland, we finally spent a weekend at home, which you know what that means: hiking!

Hiking at Snow Lake in the Washington Cascades

Originally, Ryan and I planned on camping Saturday night, but since we were busy with launching Brew Pup (more on that in a bit), we decided to do a day hike and test some of our camping supplies, including our stove, pots, packs, and a new harness for Charlie. 

After a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, and potatoes on Saturday morning, we packed up our new Deuter backpacks, wrangled the puggle, and headed out to Snow Lake in the Snoqualmie Pass region of the Central Cascades. The drive from Bothell to Snow Lake took just over an hour (it would probably take the same amount of time if you’re coming from downtown Seattle). By the time we arrived, the first parking lot was already packed. This is a popular trail!

Snow Lake is an easy hike with a gentle elevation gain. We hiked 3 miles from the trailhead to the start of the lake, hiked for another mile around the lake, and returned to the trailhead for a total of 7 miles with an elevation gain of 1800 feet. The hike up took us just under 90 minutes and the hike down took 75 minutes; since we had plenty of time, we spent a couple hours exploring and relaxing by this beautiful alpine lake. 

Hiking at Snow Lake in the Washington Cascades

The trail is clearly marked and easy to follow. Snow Lake is an ideal option if you are traveling with a group, a novice hiker, or just looking for an easy hike that won’t toast your legs. A majority of the trail is rocky, which means that proper footwear and some coordination are beneficial for enjoying this hike.

Hiking at Snow Lake in the Washington Cascades

Charlie managed well without boots, but dogs with sensitive paws may need some boots to protect their feet. We’ve actually considered purchasing a pair of doggie hiking boots for Charlie, but he is weird about things touching his feet (his toenail trimmings require two groomers, an old priest, and a young priest) and he’d probably just kick them off within the first five feet of a hike.  This is life with a puggle. 

Hiking at Snow Lake in the Washington Cascades

While we were at Snow Lake, we found a nice spot to set up our camp stove and make lunch. Annie’s Organics Mac & Cheese is the perfect camping meal—so easy to make and so delicious! After eating, we climbed a bit further to scope out campsites for future visits. The higher we climbed, the more spectacular the views of Snow Lake!

Hiking at Snow Lake in the Washington Cascades

Charlie is slowly overcoming is fear of the water (I think he’s the only dog who does not like to swim) and he splashed around in some of the streams that fed into Snow Lake.

Hiking at Snow Lake in the Washington Cascades

The rest of the weekend we spent working on business stuff, including my RRCA coaching certification and our online clothing site Brew Pup! You can find us on Facebook here. We are selling Anvil and American Apparel t-shirts (long and short sleeve) and sweatshirts with craft beer themed designs. 25% of all proceeds are donated directly to dog rescues across the country, including Stray Rescue in St. Louis, Lakeshore PAWS in Valparaiso, IN, and Seattle Humane. Plus, we offer free shipping across the US and Canada! 

[Tweet “Hiking at Snow Lake via @thisrunrecipes #pnwonderland #cascades #outsideisfree”]

Questions of the Day:
 What odd quirks or habits does your dog/pet have? —> Too many to name. 
If you could own your own business (or if you do), what would it be?
What are your plans for this weekend?

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10 Responses

  1. I love that you guys all going hiking together including Charlie 🙂 Milo also has some funny quirks like when he’s being playful he will stick his but in your face, ha. He will also take FOREVER to find THE PERFECT place to go to the bathroom! I have thought about starting my own private psychotherapy practice and would also like to grow my blog. Excited for you guys and your new business venture!

    1. I think Charlie would me so mad at us if we left him at home. 🙂 He also does the same thing as Milo – it can take him five minutes to sniff out the exact spot for his potty! And thank you – you would be so good at your own private practice!

  2. What absolutely gorgeous scenery. I love so much that you do all this hiking and then show us the pictures! Maybe we will be able to do this one day but until then, I’ll live vicariously through you!

  3. After hiking snow lake, would you think it’s doable for a 5 year old? He’s done Rattlesnake (with a lot of distractions/redirection/bribery), Snoqualmie Tunnel and Spray Falls on Mount Rainier and some smaller/shorter ones as well.
    I’m trying to get more hiking in with the kiddos before the rains and snow come- the 5 year old is particular when it comes to outdoor adventures in inclement weather.

    1. I definitely think it’s doable for him – we saw a lot of kids out there, including younger scout groups. From what I can tell from the WTA, it’s shorter than Spray Falls, so if he can do that, he’ll have no problem! There weren’t any sections that I recall being overwhelmingly steep – the only issues we had were a few slick areas along the rock, but it had just rained before we went. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions – and I hope you enjoy the hike!

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