Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Wenatchee Crest Snowshoe
If you don't mind company, but prefer to have an easy-to-follow, modestly graded route to explore, this is it. It's perfect for families or for first-timers who just want to get a feel for their new snowshoes. The trail sticks to an old dirt road--groomed on a semiregular basis--that follows the crest of the Wenatchee Mountains from Blewett Pass Sno-Park to a point directly above the Pipe Creek Sno-Park.
From the trailhead, find the start of Forest Road 800 on the north end of the parking lot and start walking. The trail sticks to this road for the next 3 miles to the road end. The road rolls up and down modestly, providing plenty of opportunity for novices to practice different snowshoeing techniques and build their skills. About 0.5 mile out, the road splits. Stay left (west) to follow the ridgeline. The right-hand road drops steeply into Scotty Creek basin. This is another area you can explore, but remember that every foot you drop down has to be regained in the long slog back up. FR 800 hugs the crest of the ridge separating Scotty Creek basin from the Swauk Creek basin (home to US 97). You'll encounter occasional clearings with stellar views north and south. Looking north, you'll see Tronsen Ridge stretch before you, while to the south Diamond Head and Table Mountain rise above Blewett Pass. The road ends at an open clearing about 3 miles from the trailhead. Enjoy the views here while having a picnic lunch, then return the way you came to close out the day. Author’s Rating: Easiest. Generally good trails for beginners, with little elevation change and minimal avalanche danger.
Driving Directions:
To get there, from Seattle, drive east on Interstate 90 to Cle Elum. Take the second (eastern-most) exit, and continue northeast on State Route 970 about 12 miles to a junction with U.S. Highway 97. Continue north on US 97 (following signs to Wenatchee). At the crest of Blewett Pass, about 27 miles from I-90, turn left (north) into the North Blewett Pass Sno-Park. If this small parking area is full, cross the highway to the main Blewett Pass Sno-Park. Recent Trip Reports
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Snowshoe/XC Ski
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Hiked this trail on Sunday afternoon. Started from the smaller parking lot. The trail was in perfe...
Hiked this trail on Sunday afternoon. Started from the smaller parking lot. The trail was in perfect condition with a well compressed snowshoe trail for its entire length. Encountered about eight other groups along the way but otherwise it was purely tranquil. Plenty of views down into Scotty Creek Basin and beyond with one or two southern views opening up during the latter half of the hike. As for difficulty, it was a very graceful climb such that one never felt exhausted. Overall, a perfect hike as a first snowshoe trip of the year. I will definitely be returning ... if not for this hike for the 70 miles of cross country skiing trails situated on the other side of the parking lot.
Wenatchee Crest Snowshoe
— Jan 22, 2012
— verdi&meg
Day hike
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Snow on trail
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Headed out on the Wenatchee Crest Showshoe today. The snow park was a little crowded but we were sti...
Headed out on the Wenatchee Crest Showshoe today. The snow park was a little crowded but we were still able to park on the North side. We arrived between 9:30 and 10:00 and snowed the entire time we were out. It was a beautifull but we didn't get views of the enchantments due to fog and falling snow. The recent snow was pretty powdery so getting out of the established trail was pretty hard going although not steep. We didn't go the entire way because one member in our party had to drive to Portland in the afternoon but we had a great time while we were there. Other than us we saw three different groups of x-country skiiers. We mostly had the trail to ourselves.
Snowshoe/XC Ski
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Reached the Blewett Pass Sno-Park just after 10am, and managed to fit the car between two trucks wit...
Reached the Blewett Pass Sno-Park just after 10am, and managed to fit the car between two trucks with snowmobile trailers.
The trail was well trenched, but we eventually put on snowshoes anyway. Continued until about a quarter mile beyond the bump, where we had lunch before turning back. The roundtrip distance ended up being closer to 8 miles than the 6 miles stated in the book--we may have ended up on a different spur of the road towards the end. There were great views of the Enchantments all along the trail, as well as occasional glimpses of Diamond Head Mt Rainier, and even Mt Adams. Despite the full parking lot, we encountered few parties on the trail, and didn't see or hear any snowmobiles (perhaps they stick to the south side of the pass). Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/[…]/WenatcheeCrestJanuary2012 Tracklog: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/140221932 Day hike
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Actually did this 1 year ago to the day. Went with a friend and she had never done before. It was fo...
Actually did this 1 year ago to the day. Went with a friend and she had never done before. It was fogged in, so no views today. Snow shoes were needed. Saw only a few groups of people. We had alot of fun, and lots of snow.
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As billed in Dan Nelson's Snowshoe Routes Washington book (and on this website), this snowshoe trek ...
As billed in Dan Nelson's Snowshoe Routes Washington book (and on this website), this snowshoe trek is fairly easy, with minimal avalanche risk and excellent views. What more can you ask for?
Well, you can ask for great weather, which we had in spades today. Not a cloud in the sky! You could ask for a bit more snow too. There was only about a half-inch of snow at Blewett Pass and most south-facing slopes were bare. But no worries here - we strapped our snowshoes to our pack, and only put them on two miles later when we started to post-hole a bit. The Wenatchee Crest route follows the road. It provides a bit of a workout, rising up and sloping down as the road hugs the hillside just below the crest. The views start early and appear often. Tronsen Ridge is impressive, and as you gain elevation you can see more snow-covered ridges beyond. On the other side of Blewett Pass, Diamond Head beckons - but climbing that peak will have to wait for another day (and will someone please write up a Trip Report for it?!). I'm guessing we were a bit more than two miles in when we decided to have some lunch. We spotted a narrow road to the left which appeared to go up to the ridge, so we branched off on it. What a good choice! Just about 100 feet in, we topped out on a knoll that was out of the wind and sported fantastic views to Mount Adams and Mount Rainier as they nosed over another nearby ridge. We soaked up the sun during our lunch and returned to the car. I'll be coming back to Blewett Pass for more winter fun some day soon. As a footnote, I can't believe there aren't lots of Trip Reports for this place. We only saw two cross country skiers on our way out in the morning, but passed a dozen small parties upon our return. |
 Wenatchee Crest views. Photo by Susan Elderkin.
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