[drv8535]

Looking for experience/intel on this area in late fall. I live in Spokane and am fairly new to the area still. Most of my outdoor adventures have been in N Idaho. I have NEVER been to the Cascades. Read a couple trip reports of making a nice loop up Middle Fork Payasten River then east over a pass to Eureka Creek basin, then back down. I’m looking at November 1st for a 3 day trip probably. Is this area totally buried by then? Is it a crap shoot by that time, could be feet of snow or just really cold? I’m not opposed to some snow, but would prefer to not do all 30+ mi in snowshoes either. Any past experiences are appreciated!

[Bedivere]

First week of November will be a total crapshoot. There will almost certainly have been some snowfall at higher elevations by then, but whether there is just some patchy, thin snow here and there or a couple feet at key places cannot be predicted with any accuracy.

[texasbb]

I've only been there once, in 2011, October 6-7. There was a bit of snow when I headed in, up to 3 or 4 inches deep in the higher spots. This was somewhere on the Boundary Trail:

It dropped another couple inches on me overnight, which scared me into bugging out early. I think I would have been fine, but I'm cautious once it's into October.

[drv8535]

Noted, thanks🤙 Guess I could reach out to the forest service when it gets closer too

[drv8535]

Texasbb, did you bring snowshoes or traction just in case, or were you mostly good in boots?

[RichP]

I've been up there in late Oct and it was snow-free. Nov is cutting it close though.

[wildernessed]

We did a 3 day Eastern Pasayten Thruhike the end of October last year it was nice but up to a foot of snow on extreme North and West aspects, limited water, and short days had us limiting our itinerary so we could make our 15 mile / days.

[pcg]

Snowed on me in Horseshoe Basin first week of October last year, but accumulation was less than an inch. I think considerably more fell a few days later. I agree 1st week of November would be a total crapshoot with bad odds if you are averse to snowshoes.

[texasbb]

[drv8535]

Thanks everyone, sounds like maybe it might be too late/risky for this kind of trip. Either that or finally invest in a decent pair of snowshoes🙃

[Randito]

[Bedivere]

Well, again, it's a total crapshoot and no one can say what it will be like. We could have a warm, dry fall and there might be little to no snow at all at that point, or we could have a couple feet up there by then. At that particular time we might have a big high pressure bubble over us and the weather might be fantastic, or it could be stormy, or it could be just unsettled and showery. It's truly impossible to say 'til we get right up to the dates you're talking about. Early November is just really hard to predict. I'd do a trip into the Pasayten in early November *if* conditions were favorable - little to no snow on the ground and a bulletproof forecast. But, I'd wait right up until the day I wanted to leave to make the decision as the weather is just too variable at that time of year. As Randy said, the early season snow isn't consolidated and won't bear weight. All it does is obscure the ground and force you to use twice as much effort to go anywhere, all while risking postholing into a gap between rocks or logs and injuring yourself. I definitely would not go if there was snow or any chance of snowfall.

[kiliki]

Be sure to check hunting seasons (Pasayten is popular with hunters but not sure how long they are out there). Sorry if you are used to living/hiking in northerly latitudes but since you mentioned you were new to WA, be sure to look at daylight hours and be sure you are up for that much time in the dark.