Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Washington / Alpine Lakes

Snow Lake and Gem Lake (Snoqualmie Pass)

Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (Alpental, Snoqualmie Pass)

Snow Lake sits just over a ridge from the Alpental ski area at Snoqualmie Pass, in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. WTA lists it at 7.2 miles round trip with 1,800 feet of gain and notes established campsites. Gem Lake is the next lake up the trail.

It’s a popular trail; a Mountaineers trip leader warned it may be crowded and scheduled an overnight for a Monday to avoid the crowds.

The hike

The trailhead is on Alpental Road, 1.5 miles from the turnoff at Snoqualmie Pass, with parking in a large gravel lot, according to the Forest Service. It sits at 3,100 feet.

WTA describes a talus slope about a mile in, with views of Chair Peak, and a spur at about 1.75 miles that leads to an overlook of Source Lake. The trail then climbs roughly 500 feet to a saddle at the wilderness boundary and drops to Snow Lake. WTA mentions the remains of an old cabin near the inlet. The trail continues past the lake’s outlet to a junction, where one branch descends to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie valley and the other leads to more lakes.

That second branch is the way to Gem Lake. The Mountaineers trip listing puts Gem about 1.5 miles and 500 feet beyond Snow Lake, with a log bridge and rock fields to cross and both climbing and descending along the way. The listing totals the trip at 10 miles and about 2,000 to 2,200 feet of gain, and mentions Wildcat Lakes beyond Gem as an optional side trip of about 6 miles round trip.

WTA warns that “multiple avalanche chutes cross this trail,” and that the steep first section is high risk in winter when snow is present. The Mountaineers listing warns of heavy bugs early in summer.

The Forest Service lists the High Lakes Trail (#1012) as another trail from this trailhead. For a longer Alpine Lakes trip that starts at the same pass, see the Pacific Crest Trail, Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass, and for a more remote valley of lakes, see Necklace Valley.

Tips

Camping

A free wilderness permit, self-issued at the trailhead, is required for all Alpine Lakes Wilderness visits from May 15 to Oct. 31. Groups are limited to 12 people and stock combined. Campfires are prohibited above 4,000 feet on the west side of the Cascade Crest; WTA lists the trail’s high point at 4,400 feet. The 1994 Alpine Lakes order lists Gem Lake among lakes where camping is allowed only at designated sites within a half mile, and the Forest Service’s current regulations list both Snow Lake and Gem Lake in its lake-restriction lists; confirm the rule with the Snoqualmie Ranger District. Don’t camp in areas posted as closed for restoration.

Inside Intel: A Mountaineers trip listing for a 2025 overnight planned Gem Lake as its main camp, with the Snow Lake area as backup, and scheduled it for a Monday to avoid crowds. No camper accounts recommending a specific site were found.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A busy lake, a long night's sleep:

Snow Lake is a short, popular overnight, so a comfortable pad is the easiest way to make one night count. See which sleeping pads testers rate.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.