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stevepolaris
Well-known member
anyone ride the N.cascades hyway..is it anygood.. whats the earlyest you have been up there or heard of someone being up there
Anyone Ride N.Cascades Hyway
- Thread starter stevepolaris
- Start date
I've ridden it. Its not exactly my kind of riding... Although I really didnt know if there were any secret spots or not...If your a trail rider to get to the nice scenic views, then I guess thats a great ride.
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stevepolaris
Well-known member
ya not too much of a trail rider i just use them to get to places then no trails haha thanks, im thinking about heading up there for some early season riding this year...
Well you really cant ride the hiway until it closes...which is generally somewhere shortly after Thanksgiving. There are tons of hidden spots and it is an amazing place too ride when the snow is good and safe. I wouldnt rank it an exceptionally good spot too ride early season because so much of the riding is either in avalanche zones or you have too pass through avalanche zones. Be sure the snow is stable before you go too really stomp.
As far as early riding in Washington goes, Harts pass is generally a pretty solid bet. It is an area very close too the hwy but is higher and has more safe riding in it. And you dont have too wait for the plow trucks too quit running
As far as early riding in Washington goes, Harts pass is generally a pretty solid bet. It is an area very close too the hwy but is higher and has more safe riding in it. And you dont have too wait for the plow trucks too quit running
I haven't been up to the N. Cascade Hwy in forever. Is there a place to park at the "gate". Can you run the Hwy all the way across the pass? Sounds like a cool place to do a break-in ride. When do they usually close the highway?
I ride up there every year, but mainly to go ski touring up at the Pass. You can get there from west, but it's a long slog. You'll waste most of your gas just getting there and back. Better to come in from Mazama. Even coming in from the east, the riding off the highway isn't very good until you get past the Pass. The decent sledding is generally toward Rainy Pass. Harts is awesome, but the approach road is super dangerous in high avy conditions. I think there is also a ton of good terrain NE of Winthrop, but I haven't personally checked it out. BTW - The local sledders pretty much leave the area where those pictures were taken (Blue Lake aka "Liberty Bowl") to the skiers, as that area, along with Spire Gully (the line dropping from South Early Winter Spire to the hairpin) and the Cutthroat Creek drainage are heavily used by the local sled access ski community (which is surprisingly large - I've seen 30+ sleds parked at those spots) and the heli skiing operation. It's not illegal to ride in those spots, but there are definitely better places to go. And I'm not just saying that because of the potential user conflict, the riding around Harts is way more extensive and better for sledding (more open terrain, wider spacing in the trees, etc.).Here's a few shots from last year.
GOING this year,Guide Boy!!!Here's a few shots from last year.
