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Summit Nordic Center
"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: skis and snowshoes
Surface: groomed
Rating: easy to most difficult
Round trip: up to 30 miles
Skiing time: 4 or more hours
Elevation gain: 500 feet
High point: 3,808 feet
Best: mid-December - March
Avalanche potential: moderate
Maps: Green Trails Snoqualmie Pass #207 and resort handout map
Description:
High above Snoqualmie Pass chairlifts, and a world apart from the rat race of alpine skiers and snowboarders, is an intricate web of outstandingly groomed cross-country ski trails. With twenty-eight trails to choose from, a main lodge with heated bathrooms and food service, two warming huts to relax in, a rental shop for gear you don't own or simply forgot to bring, lessons aimed at making your day on skis more enjoyable in this mountainous terrain (they teach you how to go down hills), and night skiing on Wednesdays, this resort rivals Sun Mountain in the Methow Valley.
A trail pass may seem expensive, but it comes with a ride on the chairlift, allowing skiers to be whooshed up from the valley floor to the ridge crests 500 vertical feet above.
Access: Drive Interstate 90 to the Hyak/Rocky Run Exit 54, located on the east side of the Snoqualmie Pass summit. If coming from the west, drive straight ahead from the end of the exit ramp into the Summit East/Hyak area. If coming from the east, go left off the exit to find the entrance on the left. Go 0.1 mile into the Summit East/Hyak area, then take a left on Hyak R.E. Descend a short 1,000 feet, then turn right on Keechelus Drive. Follow this narrow road for 0.1 mile to the entrance of the main parking area. Overnight parking is allowed. The lodge is located directly up the hill, to the left. A sno-park permit is not needed to park here.
The Tour: Once you have purchased your trail pass, you are set to explore. True novices should consider trying out their skis on the lower loops, followed by a tour on the Mount Catherine Loop to a scenic vista over Keechelus Lake. Skiers with any kind of previously learned descending skills should head up to the Keechelus Chair and ride to the top. After you get off the chair, descend straight down the hill to find the start of the Nordic trail system. The first trail is called Snow Train, and it leads down to the main network of trails, which connects with the Grand Junction and Inner Loops area. Not all junctions are marked, and not all junctions make sense. Ski to enjoy and explore.
If you choose to ski out to Grand Junction, you can take the Rockdale Trail over to Olallie Meadow and Jim Brooks warming hut in just 3.8 kilometers (2 1/4 miles). Use caution if you decide to head down to the Nesting Bird Yurt at the lower end of the Hidden Valley Trail. The trail drops over a cliff and is very tricky when icy.
Rockdale and parts of the Mount Catherine Loop cross avalanche zones. Gates are put up when the snow is unstable, and skiers are not allowed to pass. Ask about snow conditions before you buy your ticket if the closing of those trails will disrupt your day.
Copyright © 2002 Mountaineers Books
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