The 17 Sno-Parks spread across Gifford Pinchot National Forest offer winter recreation destinations for people from all over the Northwest.
As people begin to plan trips, forest officials caution visitors to be aware of the latest conditions and access changes. Here is a rundown of some key changes:
Discover Pass
If Sno-Park visitors have a current seasonal Sno-Park permit, they do not need to purchase a Discover Pass between Nov. 1-March 31. If using a daily Sno-Park permit, you also will need a one-day or annual Discover Pass when visiting Crystal Springs, Easton Reload and Hyak Sno-Parks, Fields Spring, Lake Easton, Lake Wenatchee and Mount Spokane state parks and the Mount Tahoma Trail System. A daily Discover Pass is $10 and an annual pass is $30. Some transaction fees might apply. discoverpass.wa.gov.
MOUNT ADAMS RANGER DISTRICT
Skamania County is contracting out the plowing of the Wind River Highway (Forest Road 30) to provide access north of Carson. Plowing will provide access up the Wind River Highway to Koshko Sno-Park for as long as funding allows.
Koshko Sno-Park is designated for motorized winter recreation access to areas on the south end of the forest via the unplowed Forest Road 30 beyond Koshko. This Sno-Park will be designated for motorized use, but that does not exclude nonmotorized recreationists from parking there.
Old Man Pass Sno-Park remains designated for nonmotorized use only. These trails will remain open only to nonmotorized use, and the parking here will be only for these users. The snowplay area will also be plowed, providing access to the sledding hill.
On the east side of the district, forest officials said all Sno-Parks will remain open and accessible, with no changes to use designation or parking.
MOUNT ST. HELENS MANAGEMENT AREA
Plowing in the Mount St. Helens area will also continue as long as funding allows. Forest Road 90 will be plowed to the Skamania County Fire Prevention District Six building at Northwoods. There will be no parking provided in this area, and Curley Creek cut-off road will be closed by snow. This popular forest driving loop will not be accessible for the 2011-12 winter season
Forest Road 83 accessing Marble Mountain, Cougar and Trail of Two Forests Sno-Parks will be plowed for the season, maintaining access to these popular destinations on the Mount St. Helens area east of the town of Cougar. The Marble Mountain Snow-Shelter was lost to fire and has not yet been replaced. Trail of Two Forests parking will continue to be plowed for nonmotorized access up Forest Road 8303 to Ape Cave.
COWLITZ VALLEY RANGER DISTRICT
Forest Road 25 to Wakepish will be closed beyond the Benham Creek Crossing as of Feb. 1 to all traffic for bridge replacement. This project is slated to be completed in July.
All other Sno-Parks on the Cowlitz Valley District (Skate Creek, Johnson and Orr Creek) will be open as usual.
Keep informed
The most up-to-date information available on road and Sno-Park conditions is found on the Web at fs.usda.gov/recmain/ giffordpinchot/recreation.
Things to keep in mind
• Gifford Pinchot Recreation staff reminds forest users of winter recreation road closures that went in effect Dec. 1. These closures remain in place even when snow does not hinder automobile access. Refer to the forest’s Motor Vehicle Use Map for details on these and other closures.
• A Washington state (or reciprocal states’) Sno-Park parking pass is required at all Sno-Parks. A one-day permit is $20, and a seasonal permit is $40. A special groomed trails permit is $40. Transaction fees may apply. Find out more at parks.wa.gov/winter/permits.
• Washington State Sno-Park passes are honored in both Oregon and Idaho, as are those states’ passes in Washington.
• While the popular driving loop over Curley Creek will not be accessible this year, there are still many opportunities for out-and-back drives to beautiful winter scenic areas including the Flattop and Snow King Sno-Parks north of Trout Lake, up Forest Road 90 to Pine Creek and South from Randle on Forest Road 25 to the Benham Creek Bridge.
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