[Snowbrushy]

It look's like the campground fee is going up at my favorite place. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/news/camp-fees.html

[yew]

Do you backcountry ski? Have you ever backcountry skied Harts Pass? I want to ski that area this spring. If so, have you ever skied that area in May or June? What was the snow like? Avalanche chutes to stay away from? How far could you drive up the road?

[Snowbrushy]

I don't ski anymore (knees) but Harts Pass would be a great area. The road is the highest road in the state - Slate Peak. It's great for alpine car camping and day hikes on the PCT etc.. Even if the road was closed you could backpack it. Check with the Rangers in Winthrop for road opening date. There's no big cornices that I know for avalanches on Slate Peak. No chutes that I recall around the pass.

[Lead Dog]

On the last switchback just below the Slate peak Lookout were the Buckskin Lake trail head is is a very steep snow chute that I wouldn't try with anything less than rope. The wife and I were going into Buckskin Lake in Early July. We grabbed our packs, walked across the road, climbed a little incline, got to the ridge line, looked DOWN at the Ice slope(North Facing) turned around and spent 3 days at the Meadows Campground. I'm glad that happened because if I would have tried to take my wife to Buckskin lake I would still be single. Or at room temp. What a SLOG that trail is!

[lookout bob]

Snowbrushy....the link says,'proposed'....do you know if these fee changes have been implemented????

[Quark]

Man, I've seen people boarding and skiing from Slate Peak in May and early June. It looks like a major pain in the ass to haul back up to the top to go again over and over and over. But hey, what a thrill! God, what a place...If I could live anywhere in the State of Washington - oh, wait, wrong thread. The problem I see with the new fees is that folks will only have to have a 5 or a ten bill on them, but some one bills as well. It's hard enough to have any bills, let alone the loose ones to make up the fee, so they might miss out on the additional ding on occasion. I'm not a big car camper but 10 to 12 bucks seems reasonable, though I remember dollar campgrounds in the 70s.

[yew]

Yo-yoing is good exercise! On the $8 campground fee: I guess one could write a check. But who carries a checkbook with them when camping? I'm afraid to carry my checkbook with me when traveling or camping out of fear of losing it or theft. Paying with a debit or credit card is probably not possible at Harts Pass.

[Snowbrushy]