Lily Basin / Johnson Peak

Does anyone know if Lily Basin / Johnson Peak ( 46.539853, -121.507416 ) are skiied very much? Has anyone here skiied in this area?

Does anyone know if Lily Basin / Johnson Peak ( 46.539853, -121.507416 ) are skiied very much? Has anyone here skiied in this area?

It doesn't get skied much. I can't remember if we came in that way with skis when I was younger or not? If we did, we came to ski Old Snowy. I've never skied Johnson. If memory serves me, I think there used to be a great lookout on this peak. It was gone before my time. Nothing else I know interesting about the area. The peak itself should be a nice ski from Goat Lake with a reasonable approach in the spring from packwood. If you would like to go, let me know. I'd love to go there. In fact I was looking at it this weekend from the top of the goat rocks remembering my first hiking trip sans parents, which was spent there.

Thanks for the reply. Mom and I were hiking there this weekend, from Packwood. I thought Johnson Peak and Lily Basin looked like a fun ski or scramble. However I think winter access is probably tough - the forest service road from Packwood ( NF-48 ) is open part of the way in winter, depending on where the snow starts. I think it might be 8 or 10 miles each way in winter - so not really a good day trip. Also, a traverse from Johnson Peak to Old Snowy and maybe some of the peaks around Old Snowy looks fun, winter, spring, summer, or fall.

There are some very nice lines from the top of Johnson Peak to the bottom of Lily Basin or toward Packwood Lake. Avalanches have created some lovely gladed terrain lower in these basins, and of course, the upper terrain is alpine and open. Probably spectacular in winter. Some of the descents from the ridge along the Lily Basin trail toward Packwood Lake look really awe-inspiring, even if the best skiing is inside obvious avalanche paths.