Winter Recreation

There is no need to feel all cabin feverish when you live in Washington. It may be rainy in the lowlands, but it is wonderfully snowy up high. Snowshoeing and cross country skiing options abound. And with a bit of pre-planning, you can clear your head with an invigorating day in the snow.

The view of Mount Shuksan from Artist Point in the winter. This photo by Matt Leber won first prize in WTA's 2004 Northwest Exposure Photo Contest.

Washington Trails Association is happy to help you get started. We have put together a number of resources that will help you decide where to go and how to stay safe. And we'll be adding to the list as the winter progresses.

Planning Your Adventure

You need somewhere to go. And you need the resources for determining weather and road conditions, as well as how to stay safe out there. Preparation is key to having a good time, and we highly recommend you read through the resources listed to the right, especially the Winter Safety Tips, which has important information about avalanche conditions, links to road and weather reports and what to bring.

There are several ways you can find destinations to suit your skill level and desires on WTA's website.

Choose a destination from our Snowshoe Features & Magazine Articles

• Seven Great Snowshoe Hikes
• Snowshoeing Mt. Rainier
• Snowshoe Mt. Baker (pdf)
  
• Joys of Scottish Lakes High Camp (pdf)
  

Get inspiration from our Trip Reports & Hikes of the Week

On the Trip Reports search page, select Advanced Search Options. Mark only the box entitled Snowshoe/XC Ski. Up will pop all snowplay reports posted since November 2008. You can find older snowshoe and cross-country ski reports by typing in the name of the trail.

We've also featured several snowshoe trails in our Hikes of the Week archive, including:

Tonga Ridge makes a wonderful early winter snowshoe excursion. Photo by Opus.

• Hex Mountain
  

• Carbon River
• Granite Lakes
• Mt. Walker
• Artist Point
• Swauk Creek Snowshoe Trails
• Chiwaukum Creek

When you're done with your trip, please come back here and write up your Trip Report. We love hearing about where you had a good time!