May 1 - Silver Lake (Big Cottonwood Canyon)

 Happy May Day!

Mostly cloudy morning with rain coming in this afternoon.

Heading up Big Cottonwood Canyon to check out the snow situation along the way. With Antelope Island "closing", I need alternatives.

Lower/mid-elevations look mostly snow-free except in the shadier spots.

The start of Willow Lake Trail is clear -- I'll wait another week.

It's 38 degrees at Silver Lake and cloudy. (There's one other car in the lot.)

I can tell that the trail is covered so on goes the micro-spikes for indeed it's covered in anywhere from a foot to 3 feet of snow.

There's a well-worn foot trail where the boardwalk should be around the lake. 

It's just a gray day!

The footbridge is clear along the edges but I walk over it on two feet of snow (maybe more). On the other side, several chipmunks are running around. I can hear woodpeckers and calls of other birds.

There's a few small openings in the lake. In one is a Mallard pair.

At the corner of the lake, a worn path heads to what should be the trail to Twin Lakes but I just continue around; maybe next week.

There are a couple of open trail patches on the opposite side but it's still all snow.

I walk the other side but the only way out I see is a private road. 

I turn around and walk back.

Cool day!