Commonwealth Basin Snowshoe — Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024

The weather forecast called for partly sunny skies, so we decided to snowshoe into Commonwealth Basin. It was a winter wonderland out there, but despite the beautiful white blanket, it was still a bit of an early-season experience. More branches were sticking out than what I usually see later in the season. There were many parts where we had to break trail. Particularly in the basin, route finding was important and we had to check our GPS map many times. Parking at Summit West was not an issue, because the ski area hasn’t opened for the season yet. Once it opens though it will become a big issue as stretches along this road now have a no parking at any time sign. Definitely check WSDOT for pass road conditions before heading out there. Overall, it was a beautiful day at the pass.