Spray Park+ : Knapsack Pass or by the falls?

Ahh - the plot thickens. My pal will be pleased to see the discord, given that the scree was indeed covered (except for about 50 feet of it).

As usual, I think Ron stumbled toward the truth. Just last Saturday, as a friend and I returned from the Turtle, the Van Trump trail seemed to have doubled in length. Something about skis and boots on the pack has an elastic effect on trails. They seem to double in length in the afternoons. If it is dark they triple.

I have done all of the variations a number of times. I think that the total vertical (counting all little ups and downs) is pretty comparable for both routes, but the Knapsack route is shorter and it does put you right into upper Spray Park where the skiing typically starts. I find the Spray Park trail, however, to be more relaxing to hike - just turn on the auto pilot and go - and cooler if it is a hot day. <br><br>I agree that if there is a lot of snow (ie typical June, starting from the gate) that the Knapsack route is great for both directions. You get your first turns, east side of Knapsack, well before noon, and there is continuous snow through the basin, over the shoulder of Mt. Pleasant, and into Spray Park (more turns). On the way back, it can be possible to ski all the way from Knapsack to Mowich Lake (though not usually by following the trail route all the way).<br><br>Once the gate opens, if the coverage on the west side of Knapsack looks decent from Mowich Lake (there's a peek-a-boo view from the road not long before the parking lot), I often choose to go in via Knapsack, knowing that there will be mostly snow from Knapsack into upper Spray Park. I don't usually try to ski/skin before reaching Knapsack. If the coverage doesn't look too good, I just hike the Spray Park trail.<br><br>On the way out, if the gate is open I never take the Knapsack route any more. I did that a couple of times and found it to be very tedious compared to just cruising the trail. Now that I know the beer trick, I will have to start checking the creek for free beer on the way out!

Definitely no clear winner. I think it's easier to do the trail with tired knees at end of day, even with all the ups and downs. But I still sometimes go out Knapsack just to avoid the crowds of people you'd encounter on the trail (hell, even Knapsack has enough travelers that the last time I think I passed at least a dozen folks on the way out).<br>One plus to Knapsack is that especially early in the morning it is a much better place to look for wildlife, because you've got good open terrain and good vistas. Goats on Mother Mtn, marmots, eagles, deer, pika, bear etc. One minus is that the tread on the last half mile that's within the Park itself isn't that well defined, and I frequently lose it and feel guilty for inducing more thrashing on meadows that already have it hard enough, specially since I'm packing balky weight and not as able to tread light.