Washington state gets the bragging rights to some of-in
not the-best snow conditions for snowmobiling in the West last season.
Alaskans might
dispute that but those in the lower 48 know Washington was the big winner down here.
That means the Evergreen State is on a bit of a roll. The winter
of 2004-05 wasn't anything to write home about. Then 2005-06 came along and the
snows returned with a vengeance. While last season might not have come with a
vengeance, it was better than most places in the West.
You might call
Washington "old reliable," because, more often than not, there is plenty of
snow to be found to ride your snowmobile. And there's a variety of places
across the state to do so.
When Washington is hitting its stride snow-wise, seven of the
top 14 spots in the United States
with more than 400 inches of snow a year can be found within the borders of the
Evergreen State. Now, that's some bragging rights.
Rainier Paradise
Ranger Station leads the way with 674.2 inches of snow each year, followed by Stevens Pass
(493.2 inches), Santiam Pass (453.3), Snoqualmie
Pass (439.9) and Stampede Pass
(438.7). Do the math and that's between 36 and 56 feet of snow.
If those numbers
aren't impressive enough, how about this. Mount Baker,
which sits about 20 or so miles south of the Washington/Canadian border, set a
record in 1989-99 for the most snow in one winter with 1,140 inches. Good
grief, that's nearly 95 feet of snow. That's why it's not unusual to see snow
capped peaks in Washington
year-round.
Much like Oregon and California, the snow is wet and heavy as it enters the
state from the West, drying out a bit as it crosses over the Cascade Range on
its march toward Idaho.
The Cascade Range is also the most heavily
snowmobiled as it's closest to the state's largest population base and the
riding spots are fairly accessible. Even then, we've found great places to ride
without the crowds less than 100 miles from Seattle.
When you're in western part of the state, it's pretty tough
not to see Washington's
famous mountain peaks. From just one vantage point during one our rides (near Yakima) in Washington, we were able to see
Mt. Rainier (14,411), Mt. Adams
(12,276), Mt. St. Helens (8,366) and Old Snowy Mtn.
(7,930 feet). We could also see Mt. Hood (11,239) in Oregon. Those peaks are like exclamation
points to the great riding in Washington
state.
You don't even have
to admire those peaks from a distance. Generally speaking, you can snowmobile
to within just a few miles of most of the state's tallest mountains.
For instance, you
can get very close to Mt. Rainier with a ride in Mount Rainier National Park.
About 20 miles of unplowed roads are open to snowmobiles (www.nps.gov/mora) which will let you get up
close and personal with Mt.
Rainier. Take plenty of
film or make sure the digital has an empty card in it because you'll want to
capture that moment. You can also ride in the shadows of Mt.
Baker (10,775), still one of America's
active volcanoes (you can see the steam venting from the mountain). It's almost
a little eerie riding while a volcano is venting. Here's a bonus memorable
ride. Ride right next to Mt.
St. Helens, where limited
riding is available in the national volcanic monument. Contact the Gifford Pinchot National Forest
(360-891-5000) for more information.
A pretty good source
of information for riding in Washington
state is on the state's parks website www.parks.wa.gov/winter
and then navigate to the sno parks section where you'll find trail maps.
Lop off most everything between the ocean and Interstate 5
and you can snowmobile in each of Washington's
four corners. There's Mt. Baker in the northwest and the Blue Mountains in the
southeast, the Selkirk Mountains in the
northeast and the Cascades in the southwest. Washington
has four major mountain ranges-the Cascade, Selkirk, Blue and Olympic-and that
means snowmobilers are never very far from sledding in Washington.
And there's usually
plenty of snow to go along with it.
Guide
Washington State
Tourism http://experiencewashington.com
Road Conditions
800-695-ROAD
Washington State
Snowmobile Association www.wssaonline.com
Groomed Trails 3,000
Number of Registered Snowmobiles 31,532
Highest Point Mount Rainier (14,411 ft)
Greatest Average Annual Snowfall Rainier Paradise
Ranger Station 674.2 in.
Record Winter Snowfall Mt. Baker 1,140 in.
Coldest Recorded Temperature Mazama and Winthrop minus-48 degrees
F
Lake Chelan
Elevation 4,000-6,000
Snowfall 75-150 inches
Groomed Trails 200 miles
Full-Service Town Chelan
Nearest Airport Wenatchee (43
miles)
Information Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce 800-4-CHELAN
Cle Elum/Ellensburg
Elevation 2,500-7,000
Snowfall 150 inches
Groomed Trails 229 miles
Full-Service Town Cle Elum, Ellensburgh
Nearest Airport Yakima (60 miles)
Information Cle Elum Chamber of Commerce 509-674-5958, Ellensburg Chamber of
Commerce 888-925-2204
Okanogan County
Elevation 3,000-7,000
Snowfall 100-125 inches
Groomed Trails 421 miles
Full-Service Town Winthrop, Omak, Twisp
Nearest Airport Wenatchee (100
miles)
Information Winthrop Chamber of Commerce 888-463-8469, Omak Chamber of Commerce
509-826-1880
Wenatchee/Leavenworth
Elevation 2,500-7,000
Snowfall 150 inches
Groomed Trails 185 miles
Full-Service Town Wenatchee, Leavenworth
Nearest Airport Wenatchee
Information Wenatchee Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau 800-572-7753,
Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce 509-548-5807
Blue Mountains
Elevation 2,000-6,000
Snowfall 200 inches
Groomed Trails 94.5 miles
Full-Service Town Dayton
Nearest Airport Walla Walla (28
miles)
Information Dayton Chamber of Commerce 800-882-6299
Spokane
Elevation 1,700-5,851
Snowfall 100-125 inches
Groomed Trails 57 miles
Full-Service Town Spokane
Nearest Airport Spokane
Information Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau 888-SPOKANE
Chewelah Mtn.
Elevation 2,000-5,500
Snowfall 100-120 inches
Groomed Trails 159 miles
Full-Service Town Chewelah, Newport
Nearest Airport Spokane (48 miles)
Information Newport/Oldtown Chamber of Commerce 877-818-1008, Chewelah
Chamber of Commerce
509-935-8595
Colville/Ione
Elevation 2,000-6,000
Snowfall 100-120 inches
Groomed Trails 191.5 miles
Full-Service Town Colville, Ione
Nearest Airport
Spokane (72 miles)
Information Colville Chamber of Commerce 509-684-5973
Republic
Elevation 2,000-6,000
Snowfall 100-120 inches
Groomed Trails 85.5 miles
Full-Service Town Republic
Nearest Airport Spokane (124 miles)
Information Republic Regional Visitors and Convention Bureau 509-775-3387
Naches/Yakima
Elevation 2,000-6,000
Snowfall 200-300 inches
Groomed Trails 320 miles
Full-Service Town Naches/Yakima
Nearest Airport Yakima (25 miles)
Information Naches Valley Chamber of Commerce 509-653-2165, Yakima Valley Visitors
and Convention Bureau 800-221-0751
Mt. Adams/Mt. St. Helens
Elevation 2,000-6,000
Snowfall 300 inches
Groomed Trails 184 miles
Full-Service Town Randle, Packwood, White Salmon, Trout
Lake
Nearest Airport Portland (63 miles)
Information Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce 509-493-3630, Tourism Lewis
County 800-525-3323
Mt. Baker
Elevation 6,000-10,000
Snowfall Up to 750 inches
Groomed Trails 127 miles
Full-Service
Town Concrete
Nearest Airport Bellingham (53
miles)
Information Skagit County Tourism 877-875-2448, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National
Forest 425-775-9702