The first a couple miles of Little Lakes Valley trail is not only flat but also has some very nice views of Eastern Sierra. This makes this trail a popular destination of family trips. You will see a lot of kids, dogs and group of people. If you are looking for solitude experience, this is probably not the best choice. After you pass the first a couple miles, the crowds reduce considerably.
We summited Mount Dade on Aug 8, 2020. Snow gears were not needed. The famous Hourglass was covered with scree and talus. The last photo shows our climbing route. The small notch the arrow points to was actually passable, which enabled us to avoid the snow patches when going down. My GPS track, Mount Dade.gpx, can be downloaded from GPS Tracks Collection.
View from Summit of Mount Dade
Looking at Treasure Lakes from Hourglass
Looking down from Mount Dade towards Lake 12800 and Bear Creek Spire
Sunset at Treasure Lakes
Climbing route on Hourglass