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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.
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