Hi there!
I'm at a cabin in Suncadia this weekend and really want to snowshoe, but the NWAC warnings are freaking me out. Chiefly, I can't find any good way to tell what are sub-30 degree slope options that would be low risk for avalanches.
The two trails I'm looking at right now:
*Wenatchee Crest Snowshoe
*Hex Mountain Snowshoe
There aren't very recent trail reports for either. Does anyone know if one or both of these trails would fall within the NWAC advisory about sub-30 degree slope trails?
Failing that, are there any other snowshoe trails you would recommend in the area? Shorter is better for us since we have a group of different skill levels. Thanks!
I am very curious about this as well. Is the road plowed to salmon la sac?
I haven't done it, but I have read the Cooper river trail is good. My guide book lists it as low-moderate for avalanche potential.
For that area it lists indian Creek, swauk forest discovery trail, Haney meadow loop, and Wenatchee crest all as low any potential trails.
"He who would understand the Book of Nature must walk its pages with his feet"
~Paracelsus
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"He who would understand the Book of Nature must walk its pages with his feet"
~Paracelsus
Hi there!
I'm at a cabin in Suncadia this weekend and really want to snowshoe, but the NWAC warnings are freaking me out. Chiefly, I can't find any good way to tell what are sub-30 degree slope options that would be low risk for avalanches.
The two trails I'm looking at right now:
*Wenatchee Crest Snowshoe
*Hex Mountain Snowshoe
There aren't very recent trail reports for either. Does anyone know if one or both of these trails would fall within the NWAC advisory about sub-30 degree slope trails?
What I would do is look in the old Trip Reports with a search of possible trips- there should be enough images to give a feel of the terrain. Eastern Washington is tricky as you could trigger an avalanche onto you from far below and that would be true for slopes with scattered small trees. However, if the small trees are dense as in a growing-in clearcut it is not much of an issue unless there is an open slope connected and above, as energy can sometimes run through somewhat dense trees. But it won't slide there, but just run through the area in a big sudden collapse and perhaps trigger a slab somewhere else. Personally, the farthest i've ever been able to transmit energy was about 400 yards. I could see trees shaking after I felt collapse of about 1/2".
Don't freak out, it is all slope angle, and if not sure just give a wide berth in judging angles in more or less open terrain. To get a feel look up 30-60 triangles on the internet.
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Failing that, are there any other snowshoe trails you would recommend in the area? Shorter is better for us since we have a group of different skill levels. Thanks!
I'd say all the trails in the Roslyn Community Forest and beyond up to the top of the ridge would be avalanche safe slopes, mostly in forest. There's an an actual trailhead parking lot in town, assuming it's plowed out. I've enjoyed a couple snowshoe trips there (some photos). The views from clearings by the ridge-top road toward the Teanaway are nice. Lots of loops are possible, like this one:
Cle Elum ridge route (trees have regrown since this 2003 imagery)
There's a pretty good map in this Nature Conservancy article. They publish a nice set of maps here too, but many of those aren't in avy safe terrain.
Roslyn Trails Alliance has some maps too, but they don't make it easy to download them and they're getting out of date relative to the Nature Conservancy one.
The Teanaway Community Forest is Avalanche safe and has lots of quiet trails. Wenatchee Crest is safe. Hex is safe except i'd be a little cautious about the conditions for the last 100 feet.
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