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Stampede Pass
"100 Best Cross-country Ski Trails in Washington"
by Vicky Spring & Tom Kirkendall
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More Washington cross-country skiing
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Open to: all uses
Surface: groomed for snowmobiles
Rating: more difficult
Round trip: 10 miles
Skiing time: 4 hours
Elevation gain: 1,300 feet
High point: 3,700 feet
Best: December - March
Avalanche potential: low
Map: Green Trails Snoqualmie Pass #207
Permits: Learn about
Sno-Park permits
Description:
Miles of roads to climb, high-speed descents through open clearcuts, choice winter campsites, and delightful views combine to make Stampede Pass an enjoyable day or weekend ski tour. The only drawback to this otherwise perfect area is the snowmobile drivers, many of whom appear to need to prove their manhood by rocketing their motors at galactic speeds along the snow-covered roads.
Many of the roads in the Stampede Pass area are groomed for snowmobile use. These wonderfully groomed roads are often very quiet from Monday through Friday, making them ideal midweek diagonal stride and skating areas.
Access: Follow Interstate 90 for 10.2 miles east of Snoqualmie Pass to the Stampede Pass/Kachess Lake Exit 62. Go right and drive past the Crystal Spring Campground. Cross the Yakima River, then take the first right, into the massive Crystal Springs Sno-Park.
The Tour: Carry your skis to the west side of the parking area and follow the snowmobiles and skiers through the trees to meet the main road at a wide intersection. Encroaching homeowners are keeping the road plowed and attempting to push out the skiers and snowmobilers. Give the homes a wide berth.
Continue straight up Road 54, crossing the groomed Iron Horse Trail at 1/4 mile. Shortly after the road divides, stay left with Road 54 as it swings east, starting the long climb to the pass.
Climb steadily to the powerline clearing at 1 1/2 miles. At this point, the road begins a short series of switchbacks, where you will find excellent views of the Yakima River valley, Amabilis Mountain, and the Keechelus Ridge area. Near the 3 mile mark you will encounter another major intersection, as Road 41 to Easton (popular with snowmobilers) branches left.
Stampede Pass Road heads to the right and carves across the steep, forested walls of Mosquito Creek valley. As you climb, you will pass two roads on the right; the second one, Spur Road 332, connects with Road 5484 and is groomed for snowmobiles. (This spur can be used as a loop back to the start.) At 4 miles the road crests the unpretentious summit of 3,700 foot Stampede Pass.
From Stampede Pass, you can explore miles of connecting roads and open ridge tops. A favorite destination is Lizard Lake, a small, sheltered pond located just 300 feet beyond the pass on the left. Also consider a side trip to the U.S. government weather station, located 1 1/2 miles south (reached by a small road from Lizard Lake). Excellent campsites abound throughout this area.
If you have a map and moderately good navigation skills, you can loop back to the start by either following the route of the Pacific Crest Trail north or descending back to Spur Road 332. To find the Pacific Crest Trail, locate a narrow bench on the north side of the road, about 100 feet on the east side of Stampede Pass. Ski along the narrow bench for about 50 feet, then go right and contour up to the base of a steep slope. (The trail is usually invisible at this point.) Stay in the trees on the left side of the ridge until you reach the ridge crest. Once on the ridge top, follow the path of the Pacific Crest Trail. Using the ridge as a guide, ski along the west side of the crest and follow it over a second hill to a large clear-cut valley.
Continue following the ridge as it meanders in a northwesterly direction to its end, on a hilltop (4,360 feet) overlooking clear-cut Meadow Creek valley. Turn left on the snowmobile-groomed Spur Road 332 and ski the ridge down to a small saddle. Stay right and follow the road on a traverse across the side of a steep hill to a major, but unsigned, intersection. Take a sharp right on Road 5484 for a sweeping descent across a steep hillside. The road swings around a small lake and continues on a steady descent that lasts for 3 miles. The downhill rush ends at Stampede Pass Road. Go left and ski across the old railroad grade at 9 1/2 miles. Return to Crystal Springs Sno-Park at 10 miles.
Copyright © 2002 Mountaineers Books
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