Hiking/Biking Sunrise Road

Yes Ron we ALL know you can enter the park and sneak around the Rangers...many of us do it ALL the time but that wasn't his question. The road is officially closed until it opens on Friday.
If you want to get up there before then...sneak in as Jarvis suggests! Happens all the time.
Me... I don't like having to sneak around these ridiculous NPS restrictions and the Sunrise road is a perfect example of the NPS at it's very,very worst( which is saying a lot).
I've had the same interactions and discussions with the rangers about getting access earlier and some are quite sympathetic but the bureaucrats that make policy and control budgets aren't.
The whole management of the 410 winter closure, WRCC, Sunrise etc is a huge missed opportunity for the park, local businesses and more importantly the enjoyment of the public which is what the goddamn park is for.

My perception was that Ross (the OP) was only interested in the options available to him for accessing Sunrise, not really with the knowing “official” rules were.

Labeling the accessing of Sunrise before the gate is open as “sneaking”, be it by climbing up via WRCG, Grand Park or parts of the road, seems a bit strong to me. But that’s just me… you can call it what you like.

I doubt that Kyle felt that he was “sneaking” up a few days hence, nor do I think that Charles thought it as “sneaking” when he accessed it by both bike and skis using cleared portions of the road. I would more likely suspect he considered it a well thought out utilization of available options while making care that he did not interfere with the work in progress. And I would think that any level headed ranger knowing the area would agree.

It was first me and then Scotty that chose to add thread drifting tirades regarding the NPS management policies which in retrospect, were both, in my opinion, off topic.

Nonetheless, tirades aside, I feel compelled to congratulate the NPS for yesterday recanting their earlier decision to postpone the Sunrise opening to 6/29 when all services would be available, to an earlier 6/22 “no services” Sunrise gate opening, apparently in response to and in favor of east side businesses. I applaud them for that decision.

While I have Sunrise thread drift on my mind let’s get back to the fun.

Zap was the first one to tell me of the Sourdough Chutes.
It’s a fun and magical place where you can see tourist hikers in Hawaiian shirts with big camera’s around there necks along with skiers, just a short walk from the parking lot, both standing looking down the same north facing snow filled chutes.

It was Zap who first told me of a tourist who looked down a chute and the looked and him and queried: “you’re not going to ski that, are you?”.
To which Zap replied, “I’ll have to – it’s way too steep to hike it”.

Zap informs me that he intends to be at Sunrise this weekend to commemorate the Sourdough Chutes and his “official” reemergence into the world of backcountry skiing after his recovering from a major stroke. He recently did 1200vf on his latest tour so it is time for him to call himself a “practicing backcountry skier”.

Some of you has not seen Zap since his stroke; others may not have every met him before. If not you are missing a delightful man.

Please come join the fun in congratulating Zap in his speedy recovery to date. Weather permitting, there will likely be touring, chute slaying, and tailgate parties galore. I’m bringing beer and the MadDog is bringing her BBQ and the famous “homewreckers” for all, while supplies last.

Be there or be square

as Robie said, the hike up from White River is not a big deal. Excellent trail until you hit snow. I think a bike up would be more of a hassle.

Be sure and enter the Park after the entrance ranger has started work so there will be someone there from the PS to ask  :
If you enter WRRS before regular business hours there will not usually be anyone there to ask, so you'd then be required to figure out what to do without proper supervision  :'(

FWIW, Charles (the founder of TAY) used to do multiple bike/ski trips each year up to Sunrise before they opened the road to vehicle traffic. He'd just wait until the crews got the road cleared up past the (4600 ft) hairpin in the Yakima Park drainage, leave his car at WRCG, ride his bike up to that first hairpin and then stash his bike back out of view from the road and skin up that drainage from there. Then later, when the road was cleared to the top he'd stash his bike at the upper (5800 ft) YP drainage hairpin and skin from there. To my knowledge he never biked above there. If workers would see him up there he was always on skis so they just assumed he climbed up from WRCG. During the week while they were working up there he would just wait until they went home before he rode his bike down the closed road. On the weekends there was no one working up there so there was little chance of meeting a worker on the closed road.

Great info in my opinion and I believe it pertains to the OP as well.

Love the quote from Zap too.

Thanks Ron

-Peter

and the famous “homewreckers” for all, while supplies last.

Ahhh the famous "homewreckers". It was at the Sunrise Chutefest many years ago that I first heard this term used to describe extra large hot dog sausages. If my memory serves me correct, it was Joedabaker who either brought or commented on the larger than normal sausages. It was the first time I'd heard the term and the first time I met Joe. Good times!

I don't think hiking in from Grand Park or WRCC is "sneaking in" just to clarify, but I do think being forced to access the closed road before the rangers are on duty, stashing your bike out of sight,being on skins so the rangers assumed you skinned up, leaving after the rangers have left so they won't see you biking down a closed road, are all pretty much the definition of " having to sneak". I applaud Charles for his "sneaking in".... it's the being " forced to sneak" by the stupid NPS policy that I deplore.

Anyhooo, have fun.....hope the forecast improves.

Ahhh the famous "homewreckers". It was at the Sunrise  Chutefest many years ago that I first heard this term used to describe extra large hot dog sausages. If my memory serves me correct, it was Joedabaker who either brought or commented on the larger than normal sausages. It was the first time I'd heard the term and the first time I met Joe. Good times!

Ah yes the term "HomeWrecker" was stolen from none other than RonJ!
Only a mature, sick, demented mind like Ron would think of something like that!
But I am grateful for that day to have met Scotsman who has the enthusiasm for skiing like a child on Christmas morning.

FWIW-The rule on the gate is that there is a flip sign at the bottom of the road on the gate. I says if the road is closed to access or flip it over to a sign that shows multi use access. Not that it really ever is flipped to the access side to often. ??? just a hit or miss thing. But for you roadies on bikes it is optimum to hit that road before all the cars with their wide mirrors take to the summit.

Few years ago a couple friend of mine got a hefty fine from the NPS for biking the closed Sunrise road. Beware.