Snowmobiling on Forest Service Roads in Washington

The 99 Rd is washed out at Bear Meadows, but you can cross it and bicycle all up the road on windy ridge. I don't know if you can cross it in a snowmobile. You can find the break on the GPNF web site; they might even have pictures.

You can drive to Walupt lake; there is a big campground there; it is good fishing; if you look closely, the road, campground, and lake are in a non-wilderness enclave.

to my knowledge you can snowmobile to the Crater Rim, but you can not approach enter the crater from the front but many have done so.

My best advice after having worked for the FS for 30 yrs, is use on-line stuff as a general guide, scout out where you would like to go, then call and ask if that road and area are open to snowmobiling and if you can or cannot snowmobile off the road and if you can how far and where. It only takes a few minutes but could save you considerable hassle (drive there and find a closure, not find the closure and get a fine). A real good example is West-side road in MRNP (not open to snowmobiles) a favorite foul weather ski/snowshoe area; this winter it had multiple massive avalanches in areas that I had never seen them before; if it was open to snowmobiles it would have been closed (legally or not, you couldn't get across them). You can check road and trail status on line but they are not always updated in a timely way. FS funding has been cut leading to big personnel cuts; they just don't get out there as much anymore. Also this year the snopark people ran out of money and lots of snoparks were unreachable. So a call is worth it.abc

I talked with a ranger up at Rainier on Tuesday morning last week about this very thing.  They had to dig into it and they called me back at the end of the day.  My question was USGS maps have pink highlighted roads and the legend says that they are snowmobile and cross-country access.  I called to make sure, and it is true.  Pink highlighted roads on USGS maps (according to the legend), are considered open and acceptable to snowmobile travel.  I know it's not FS roads, but some useful information none-the-less.

I also asked specifically about Westside Road in MRNP and they told me if there is enough snow cover (as in this last winter), then yes, it is open to snowmobiles.

I also asked specifically about Westside Road in MRNP and they told me if there is enough snow cover (as in this last winter), then yes, it is open to snowmobiles.

That's interesting! It would be even more interesting to see if they will even let you through the Nisqually Entrance gate. I've heard gate people say "and they thought they could bring snowmobiles in here!" I've heard lots of stories of people snowmobiling to White River etc., but that talki is kept kind of quiet. I've never seen a snowmobile on West-side Road. And even in good snow years they keep the gate locked; it would be difficult to get in there without going off road (the gate is slightly above 2000 ft asl). there is anothe gate at 2700 ft asl, 3 miles up the road, and it is sometimes snow covered. In past years it would have been possible to snowmobile all the way to the Puyallup River! According to NPS folks on the ground, they will repair the road across Fish Creek 3.5 miles up the road ( kind of chasm even this winter) but that road will be for "administrative use only."

That's interesting!

I thought so. They told me that 410 to the White River is acceptable, as is the Skeet? Creek Road, and a road (not sure which one) down by Ohanapecosh that is also acceptable to snowmachine use. I was hoping they might say Mowich too, but unfortunately not - that one did not surprise me. In curiosity, I also asked about sled dog teams. Because of the pet-on-leash rule of the park, most of the park roads are off limits. However, again I was told that the skeet? creek road (outside of Packwood) was acceptable for sled dog teams as well. I wouldn't be surprised if 410 was "okay" if kept under wraps as well ! (iluka?)

The woman I talked to was Allison, but she didn't give a last name (probably because I didn't either :) I told her I was looking for possibilities to access terrain for ski mountaineering, but I wanted to make sure I cleared things with them first before just going.

I'm still a bit skeptical about this though. I'm planning on doing some follow-up calls as the winter season nears and hopefully getting some e-mail information and names as well for documentation so if we were to snowmachine (say on the Westside road) I can whip out the printed e-mail and say "Oh contraire my dear ranger, this is what I was told..." - *voila!*


As kyle stated too, I'm curious about the Spirit Lake area and snowmachines. Any other additional info aside from the map posted earlier?

...Skeet? Creek Road, and a road (not sure which one) down by Ohanapecosh that is also acceptable to snowmachine use.  s acceptable for sled dog teams as well.  I wouldn't be surprised if 410 was "okay" if kept under wraps as well ! (iluka?)

...

I'm still a bit skeptical about this though.  I'm planning on doing some follow-up calls as the winter season nears and hopefully getting some e-mail information and names as well for documentation so if we were to snowmachine (say on the Westside road) I can whip out the printed e-mail and say "Oh contraire my dear ranger, this is what I was told..." - *voila!*

Skate Creek Road (US Forest Service Road 59) connect Packwood to Ashford; its highest point is around 2600 ft asl, I believe. There is a Sno Park on Skate Creek Road, but it was closed this year and the road itself was closed by several large avalanches on the Packwood side. On the Ashford side, the Park plowed the road; they use it as an alternative access and emergency escape road (a dirt road takes off from Skate Creek Rd, then forks after a while, the left fork leads to a gate demarcating the park boundary and that road continues to Longmire; the other fork continues up hill to the right further into the NF. I've XC skied there a bunch and it is often used by snowmobiles. When the roads are snow covered, snowmobilers use Kernahan Rd, Skate Creek Rd, FS Rd 59 (all known as Skate Creek Rd), FS Rds 84 and 85 etc. They also run on the shoulders & in the ditches when the road is plowed. How much is legal, I don't know (the Lewis County sherrif would have to come a long way round when the Packwood half of Skate Creek Rd is closed.) If you can get up 84 or 85 to 8440 there would be some good sking thru clearcuts in a good snow year, but the highest point is 4200 ft asl at the High Rock parking lot. Another nearby road is Copper Creek Rd (FS 52) that runs N of 706. This road used to have a Sno Park and it was one of our favorites for BC skiing because with a little climbing there was nice touring for turns in the clearcuts. It is still used by snowmobiles and yahoos in elevated 4X4s; if they haven't torn it up too badly, snowmobiling up to the Pass (Glacier/Rainier Vista) would provide some nice skiing opportunities. Personally, I would be very leery of leaving a vehicle trailer in any of these areas outside a sno park, brush apes abound.

Personally, I would be very leery of leaving a vehicle trailer in any of these areas outside a sno park, brush apes abound.

Ain't that the truth. I have a friend who was held at gunpoint and hogtied by some of those apes - craziness for sure abounds out there.