Here's a rough update of the trail conditions, from what I experienced, as of May 18. Take this with a grain of salt.
Up to Outpost Camp 1 & Mirror Lake trail conditions are good, parts of the trail are covered with snow but pose no significant challenge.
Immediately above Mirror Lake the upper switchbacks are covered with snow, recommend staying to the left on rock where the trail becomes exposed.
About a quarter mile past Trail Meadows the trail is covered with a snow drift for about 100 ft which falls off the trail at a fairly steep pitch for about 100 feet. The trail here is marked with a single line of boot imprints, a healthy dose of caution is recommended here. Crampons would be a good idea, esp. if you're packing. FYI, it's doable with hiking boots and a pair of walking sticks.
Up to Trail Camp the trail is about 50% covered with snow but does not pose a serious problem, it's a straight line to the camp. Beyond Trail Camp most of the lower portion of the trail is covered with snow. The upper portions of the switchbacks are exposed, which I used on my decent.
Crampons are recommended from Trail Camp to Trail Crest, esp. for ascending up the snow chute, just right of the hiker trail. FYI, boots, walking sticks, and gators worked well for me from Trail Camp to the base of the snow chute; there I put on my boot teeth.
Expect to burn a ton of energy going up this chute, it's kick-but. The chute is divided by a medial moraine of rocks, the left side is icy on the bottom up halfway with softer snow at the top; the right side has soft snow at the bottom with icier conditions at the top. Choose your poison. : )
From Trail Crest to the Summit the first two-thirds are mostly exposed with some sections covered in packed snow. Just before the rocky summit, you'll need to pick your path and traverse through several hundred feet of snow, which did not require crampons (this was around noon).
The only difference in my decent was I opted to walk down the upper switchbacks of trail below Trail Crest because the snow chute appeared too icy, which was at 4:30 PM...I had a long snooze at the top. This route had its own challenges because you will frequently have to jump switchbacks over loose rock to pick-up the trail further below. I did find a way down to a comfortable point for a cheesy glacad attempt that only last for about 30 feet b/c the snow was kickin' my but, literally. I just stood up and walked out, no crampons necessary.
Overall, it was an awesome, breath taking experience. Hope it will turn out the same for you.
