Beyond Paradise: Mount Tahoma trails offer their own bit of heaven
Friday, January 19, 2007 7:16 AM PST
By Tom Paulu
Printable version
E-mail this articleYou can't get to Paradise this winter, but the Mount Tahoma trails offer their own bit of heaven to cross-country skiers and snowshoers.
The road to the Paradise area in Mount Rainier National Park, normally a hotbed of winter snow play, washed out during heavy rains last November. The Nisqually Road isn't expected to reopen until March or April.
The storm also destroyed the approach to a bridge that leads to some of the Mount Tahoma trails, which are about 10 miles southwest of the park.
But 20 miles of Mount Tahoma ski trails are still accessible, and for many skiers, they're a better option than those at Mount Rainier park.
Unlike the Mount Rainier park routes, the Tahoma trails are groomed for skiers, which makes them easier to use. They're not steep and they're not crowded. Not only are the trails groomed, they're much better marked that typical Forest Service ski trails. And skiers can stay overnight in "huts" which are really sturdy, fully equipped cabins.
Last Monday, the powdery snow was close to perfect on the Rainier Vista Trail, part of the Mount Tahoma system. The snow was 5 feet deep; several fresh inches of white stuff have likely fallen since then.
The Mount Tahoma Trails are distinctive because they're maintained by a volunteer, nonprofit organization of 200 members. According to Mount Tahoma Trails Association, it's they largest no-fee, hut-to-hut trail system in North America -- it only costs to stay overnight at one of the huts.
Since the trails opened in 1990, there have been 25,000 overnight stays in the huts, said Bob Brown, one of the group's leaders. "Our use has increased every year," he said.
The drive from Kelso to the Tahoma trails is about 90 miles; allow two hours to reach them via I-5, Highway 7 and Highway 706.
For information, stop at the Mount Tahoma Trails office behind the fire station in Ashford. It's open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. On other days, information is available at Whittaker Mountaineering a couple hundred yards up the road.
The mountaineering shop also rents cross-country skis for $20 per day, and snowshoes for $14. Both locations sell the excellent, waterproof Mount Tahoma trails map.
To reach the Mount Tahoma trails north of Highway 706, drive seven miles up state logging roads to the 92 Road Sno-Park. Though the road is plowed, it's steep in spots and either four-wheel drive or chains are required. Two-wheel drive vehicles without chains simply couldn't make it Monday.
From the Sno-Park, the first few hundred yards of trail are steep, but then the route eases to a gentle uphill grade. It's about three miles, with a gain of 900 feet elevation, though the woods to the Copper Creek Hut at elevation 4,200 feet.
The hut, which has propane heat and solar-powered electric lights, is booked for every night through the rest of the winter, but anyone can warm up inside during the day. It also has a great view of the Nisqually River Valley, 2,500 feet below.
Though the snowy cap of Mount Rainier can be seen from the hut, it's worth the effort to ski another mile up the appropriately named Rainier Vista Trail to a clearing with an excellent view of Mount Wow and the massive western face of Mount Rainier.
Experienced skiers can continue on the groomed trail, which goes another five miles to the Puyallup Ridge Lookout at 4,840 feet. People who make the effort to get there are rewarded by a view of eight volcanos, Brown said -- and Seattle's Space Needle on a clear day.
"You go out north of here and there's some wonderful snow camping," for those who don't mind pitching a tent on snow, Brown said.
Other marked but ungroomed routes lead even closer to Mount Rainier.
New bridge planned
The route to the Copper Creek hut crosses Hancock Timber land, where free public access isn't allowed in summer.
But the Mount Tahoma Trails Association's two cabins and yurt several miles south can be rented in summer. People reach them by hiking or riding mountain bikes 5 1/2 miles or longer, depending on the destination. The cost is $5 per person per night.
Brown said a new bridge on the forest roads leading to the south huts will be built by summer to replace the one that washed out.
For more information, call (360) 569-2451 or see www.skimtta.com/.
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