I decided to try a snowshoe hike on this foggy day. From the main SnoPark lot at the bottom of trail 130, I started with snowshoes strapped to the outside of my pack, where they remained until I was above Bald Knob. There isn't much snow left, and what is there is melting fast with daytime temps staying in the 40s and even 50s. In the open area above Bald Knob, the snow is soft and I started postholing, so I put my snowshoes on my feet. Within 300' or so I found a large bare patch, so I took them off again. Then in another 300' or so, another section of soft snow where snowshoes were required. Then back to bare ground. I think this will be my last "snowshoe" hike for awhile. At the top I walked up to check out Vista House, and discovered that the concession shop is closed for the season. The ski concession itself was closed for much of the week, but I could see that it was open again for the weekend, despite giant bare patches around chair three. Chair one is closed. From the top I started down trail 140, then left the trail for awhile to wander around on the back side. Here the snowshoes were necessary, although I was postholing even with snowshoes in some spots. The bare patches are mostly confined to the tree wells, where bear grass and huckleberry bushes are already visible. I found fresh deer tracks at approximately the 5,300' level. The snow is going fast, so the ungulates are returning to the high country. I rejoined the trail and removed the snowshoes for the final time, choosing to follow the summit road between Cook's Cabin and Bald Knob, picking up snowmobile trash (and pieces!) as I hiked out. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to winter (especially considering how few times I've used my alpine ski pass!), so I hope this is a temporary warm spell with a little more winter yet to come.

We set out from Spokane at 11:30AM in dense fog. It snowed 5" overnight at our home so we hoped for some fresh powder on the trails, too! At 12:15 we arrived at the the trailhead at the lower Selkirk Lodge. It was 27° with a calm wind and lots of fresh powder! The trail up to Bald Knob Campground is very well marked and the snow is excellent conditions for snowshoeing. Past Bald Knob, we crossed the road and continued on trail 130 across the mountain. The trail between Bald Knob and the CCC Cabin winds through a more open forest and does not have much elevation gain. The sun peaked through the fog as we arrived at the CCC cabin to eat lunch. On the weekends you can warm up by a fire in the cabin! We enjoyed the solitude of this rustic log cabin for our weekday lunch. On our way back down the mountain, the sun peaked out and we felt like we were on top of the world above the clouds! The sunshine and blue sky was stunning. We didn't see any other snowshoers on this adventure but I hope a few people get out and enjoy the snow on the mountain this weekend!! ↠↠ Happy adventuring! ↠ ↠

We set out at 12:45 from North Spokane and arrived at the Selkirk Lodge lower parking lot at 1:30 to venture up to the Vista House at the summit of Mt. Spokane! It was a foggy day in the valley but we were pleasantly surprised to see the sun from the trailhead. The first mile up to Bald Knob Campground has sufficient snow for snowshoeing and the trail is well marked with blue diamonds on the trees. The fresh powder from Saturday night was an added beauty! At Bald Knob we snapped a couple pictures of the view and headed through the campground past the bathrooms. The trail is not as marked past this point, but follow the snowshoe tracks through the campground and trees then straight up the mountain toward the tower at the top of Mt. Spokane. This part of the trail gains the most elevation quickly as you ascend to the summit. The views above the clouds were stunning! We stopped often to catch our breath and take in the views. At the top we heated up our MSR stove to make some starbucks via before heading back down. Gorgeous day at the top of Mt. Spokane with friends! Note: You do need a Sno-Park pass to park in the lots at Mt. Spokane. You can purchase one at the ranger station if they are open, or at REI before your trip. Happy adventuring!!

Yesterday my husband and I set out on snowshoes to summit Mt. Spokane and have coffee at the Vista House! Since the ski area is not open yet the mountain is empty and graced with a foot of sparkly white snow. Also, the summit road is closed so the only way to visit the Vista House is by snowshoes. We parked at the base of the Vista House road and headed up trail 130 to Bald Knob Campground. There was 6” of snow at the campground. From there, we headed straight through the campground and didn’t cross the summit road. This part of the trail could be confusing because you leave trail 130 to go straight up toward the tower on the top of Mt. Spokane. Since there was no snowshoeing track yet we made our own way through the forest heading straight toward the tower at the top of the mountain. Once through the trees, we went straight up the face of the mountain on the side of the ski hill, staying close to the tree line. The views were amazing! At this point, the snow depth was around 10”. We crossed the road twice on our way up then made our way to the Vista House. We were happy to find a fresh dusting of snow at the top and even more amazing views stretching into Idaho and the Inland Northwest. On our way back down the fog rolled in and reminded us how quickly conditions can change in the mountains! If you are considering snowshoeing Mt. Spokane make sure and wear a lot of layers and carry the top 10 essentials! Loved getting outside to snowshoe yesterday and excited to go up again soon! If you want to see more picture of our trip, go to my blog listed below!

I met Ranger Steve Christensen at Bald Knob campground in order to check out an upcoming project location. It only took us 30 minutes to check out our drainage issue and figure out a solution, and on the way back, Steve mentioned that he was off-duty for the rest of the day & planned to head out for a trailrun as soon as we got back to Bald Knob. It just so happened that I had been thinking about going for a trailrun before returning from the mountain, too, and Steve said it was fine if I tagged along. Ranger-led hikes are a dime a dozen, but how many people get to go on ranger-led trail runs!? We took off along trail 130 from Bald Knob, passing below the CCC cabin and intersecting the Kit Carson Loop Road towards Saddle Junction. From the saddle, we took trail 160 to the summit of Mount Kit Carson (which we both agree is the second-prettiest peak within the park--Horse Mountain wins the prize for prettiest). After taking in the view from the top, we took the connector over to Day Mountain, where we found the meadow around the summit covered in wildflowers. Then we took 130 down the hill to connect back in to the Kit Carson Loop Road back to Saddle Junction, and from there we retraced our route back to the car. We stopped to admire the views along the route, and I only remembered to stop my watch for some of our viewpoints, but we completed the loop in just under 90 minutes. If there is an award for fittest park ranger in the State Park system, Ranger Steve should win it!