Skip to main content

The Road To Klipchuck Campground, Mazama Hwy 20


The week that the snow finally decided to show up, Saturday we cruised up the Methow with snowshoe option one in mind, Sun Mountain, Option two up past Mazama somewhere on Hwy 20. So we made our way to Sun Mountain, most of the snow had already melted off except the pack trails, took a few pictures from the top with the view of the valley from the road then back down the mountain and continued farther up the Methow. The closer we got to Mazama the more it started to look like winter had finally showed up and stick around. On up the road past the sign that states only local traffic past this point, no regular snow plow. I feel like a local folk even though I live 45 minutes from Mazama, I guess our repeat journeys to this area, which I consider out my back door makes me feel like a local folk. I am pretty sure that the real local folks can tell the difference. I get the feeling that if you don't actually live and breath in the Methow they can spot you, and label you as a tourist or weekend junky that drives a subaru with a yakima box on top. The road was in fairly descent shape a few icy spots but considering that a plow doesn't go through there often it was in pretty good shape over all. Just past the Cedar Creek Trail Head on the right hand side of the road we had a nice size parking area at the Klipchuck Campground entrance. The road from Hwy 20 to the Campground had been groomed for cross Country skiers and the snow was nice and deep on the sides. 6-7 Inches of fresh new snow, beautiful blue skies, and the ponderosa's were gorgeous. The road isn't that long that leads to the camp ground, but in snowshoes it can feel a long ways. The road makes a switch back or two with a decent climb that gives you a peek-a-boo of a distant mountain looking up the North Cascades. If you want to see Ponderosa's in the snow this is a beautiful place to see them. I get the same thrill when I see the red/orange trunks in the snow as seeing larches in the fall. I can load my camera card on a snowshoe trip like this. Since my fellow snowshoer had played a rough basketball game the night before we didn't venture all the way to the campground, but we did leave the road and stomp through the trees looking for more possible mountain views, and getting up close and personal with the ponderosa's. Lovely day for snowshoeing, the blue sky makes everything so vivid. Great place to go snowshoeing and cross country skiing, but of course only if the road is still open to the Silver Star gate. I don't think that they groom that area always but due to lack of snow in the lower valley they groomed the road for skiers this year. It's a lovely place to see sunflowers amongst all the Ponderosa's in the spring likewise and a beautiful campground.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

North Cascades Hwy 20, Snowshoeing

Since we don't take snowshoeing very serious and it's just another way to get out in the great outdoors and have some fun, we snowshoe highway 20 from the parking area up the pass quiet often.  It is a busy snowmobile area, but if you just be aware of whats going on around you, it is safe.  There is so much room to have fun, snow covered slopes, snowshoe up the road, or venture off the road.  It is a gradual climb up the road, we never get very far before we run out of gas and are ready to head back down.  I would love to some day take a snowmobile to the top of the pass...and snowshoe....I keep dreaming.  This is a easy location to just get out, stretch your legs and enjoy the fresh winter air.  I have always been a little bit apprehensive about  snowshoeing where there is snowmobile activities, but so far we have met only super polite folks and very respectful to keep their distance of folks snowshoeing.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Places We Can Go

Life goes on, things change, storms of life come and go.  One thing that always remains the same is the feeling and quiet peace I feel from being in the mountains.  This was a spur of the moment overnight trip.  It was so needed and such a beautiful time.  Left the house around 2:30 PM, traffic was so slow heading up Hwy 20, lots of folks heading out of Mazama.  Arrived at the trail head a few minutes before 4 PM, and we were off down the trail in a few minutes.  Three quarters of a mile down the trail a bee or some kind of flying ant decided to bite my nieces eye lid, talk about hysteria for a moment.   I was pretty sure our trip was over, but we were able to move on with a very cold creek soaked multipurpose face mask.  The sun was sinking fast and the wind was howling by the time we reached the top.  Made some quick decisions on the best place to park the tents, and we set up camp.  It was truly an incredible evening, hiked aroun...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yellow Jacket Sno-Park.......................

December 29th, 2012 came along with some beautiful weather in the Mazama area....broken blue skys and a nice 21 degrees.....with my little brother and his wife up visiting through the holiday season we ventured out to play in the snow.....We originally headed up to snowshoe the Cedar Creek trail....but Hwy 20 wasn't plowed past the first sign at the bottom.....and when we came across the Early Winters bridge we could see trucks and cars parked on both sides of the road....somewhere between 25-40 rigs.....lots of snowmobile trailers.....we decided that we needed to locate another snowshoeing spot with a little less traffic since my brother wanted to do a little snowboarding if possible......so we headed to Yellow Jacket Sno-Park....Large parking area with just a few vehicles parked....we strapped on our gear and headed up the trail....nice easy hike up a groomed snowmobile track....lots of places to step off the trail and explore...we pretty much stuck to the trail on the way up.....
Post a Comment
Read more