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Description:
This route provides the unique opportunity to snowshoe up the middle of one of the most popular highways in the state. Come summer, State Route 20 - the North Cascades Highway - is swarming with tourist traffic. But by December the road is snowbound, and it stays that way until June or July most years. That means snowshoers and cross-country skiers can play in the road without fear. Of course, there is still a danger of being run over, but the danger comes not from cars and trucks but from sliding snow. Avalanche chutes line the upper section of the highway as it approaches Washington Pass, so recreationists are well advised to stick to the lower areas and avoid the route altogether when avalanche dangers are moderate or higher.

Directions and route:
To get there, from Winthrop drive west on State Route 20 to the end of the plowed road. Park in the wide parking area.

Strap on your snowshoes, and trek up the highway, staying to the side of the road to avoid tromping on skiers' tracks and to avoid collisions with snowmobilers who occasional zip along this route. The road parallels the Methow River up-valley and offers great views of the many high peaks that mark the crest of the North Cascades. The road makes a long, gradual curve to the left. Snowshoeing up the first 2 miles, the view is straight ahead toward the Needles - a collage of rocky spires towering up to 8,140 feet. As the road curves to the southwest, the magnificent crown of Silver Star Mountain comes into view on the left, directly above the road.

As beautiful as this mountain is, it is also highly dangerous. Many of the avalanches that keep the road unplowable (and therefore open only to snow recreationists) are spawned on Silver Star. Just past the Silver Star Creek crossing, around 6 miles, all the Washington Pass peaks are visible on clear days. With Silver Star Mountain on the left and the Needles on the right, look for Tower Mountain, Cutthroat Peak, Whistler Mountain, and Liberty Bell Mountain (partially obscured by Silver Star) in between.

Because of the risk of avalanches caused by changing conditions, overnight camping is discouraged. For a quiet day outing, snowshoe up the road until lunch time, and then return home. Speedsters might work their way up the valley as far as Lone Fir Campground, but that makes a long day - it is more than 10 miles beyond the end of the plowed road.