Mount Shuksan in the Snow
Scott and I visited Picture Lake and Mount Shuksan a couple of years ago in the fall and the views were stunning. Jagged mountain peaks surrounded by vivid red and gold foliage. A clear lake with a perfect reflection. It was spectacular. Take a look at the banner on our web site’s home page and you’ll see what I mean.
Ever since then, I’ve wanted to go back in the winter. I’ve wanted to see what these gorgeous, jagged peaks would look like covered in snow and surrounded by blue sky.
This spot in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest is a little farther away than we want to do in a single day. We needed a weekend that we could get away, along with a clear weather forecast. It took a couple of years for both things to happen at once. This year it finally did.
It was gorgeous! And it was crowded!
We weren’t expecting the huge number of cars and people when we arrived. Considering the snowshoeing, skiing, sledding, and the views of the area, this shouldn’t have been a surprise. Parked cars were lining both sides of the road all the way around the lake leaving only a narrow path to drive through. We were only able to find parking after circling the frozen lake more than once. I knew the best light would be in the mid-to-late afternoon, so we took our time getting up there. This was a mistake. It would have been better to arrive early and wait for the good light. Next time…
After parking, we ate the chowder we’d packed in a thermos, while enjoying the views of Mount Shuksan. The mountain was covered with crisp clean snow with a backdrop of blue sky. I couldn’t wait to get my camera out.
We were surrounded by mountains. The views were awesome in every direction. And it was fun to see so many families out enjoying the snow.
Mount Shuksan is breathtaking in the snow. Just like I thought it would be. We spent the afternoon walking around looking for the best views. Taking lots of pictures.
Snowshoes are a good idea here. My favorite views came from the middle of the frozen lake which had several feet of snow covering it. You can do it without the snowshoes, but it’s more comfortable with them.
After a few hours of taking in the scenery and dodging the cars, we were ready to call it a day.
On to the next adventure!