This is a relatively short but strenuous hike, but worth every mile! Hiking in late October will have a lot fewer hikers, but expect cooler temperatures and patches of snow and ice. The majority of the trail was clear, but the last switchbacks up to the lake were snow covered and I broke trail through about a foot of snow. Some sort of ice grippers on your hiking shoes are required as well as hiking poles for that stretch. I had Stabilicers and poles. I took a leisurely pace up and took photos, so it was about 2 hours up to the lake. I got chased back down by a small snow squall, so that took about an hour and 40 minutes down.
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