The snow begins after the fork where the trail to alder flats branches off from the west canyon trail. It was quite icy the day we went, some people (including my hiking buddy) managed to slide along the path to alder flats. Personally, I found more comfort wearing microspikes. The view from the helicopter pad and slightly beyond was fantastic. Since the snow is quite compact and deep, we could walk on areas which usually are covered with bushes and situate ourselves for a good lunch spot. There were still a few sections in the clearing which my foot managed to break through the snow and I sank a little bit.