"I would probably recommend this trip to a friend."
Echo Ridge Nordic Ski Area offers excellent cross-country skiing opportunities on the east slopes of the Cascades. The main trails are groomed with set tracks by the Lake Chelan Nordic Ski Club.
The Outback Trail and Nowhere To Hide Trail are flat-packed, rather than tracked, if they are groomed at all. These provide more of a backcountry experience, and require some skill to ski.
The Outback Trail is reached by skiing the multiple-use Zoom Road. From the trailhead parking turnout, walk the road a short distance downhill to the trailhead and ski north. After two miles of increasingly steep climbing, you’ll arrive at a junction. Turning left on a skier-only trail will lead you to another, four-way junction. The trail that goes to the left and right circumnavigates a logged hill, and the trail (or lack thereof) straight ahead leads to its 4320-foot summit.
When you’re finished exploring, the return trip to the car will be very, very quick—thus the name, “Zoom Road.”
The Chelan Nordic Club collects a modest fee, which is deposited in a box on the honor system. There are no ticket booths and no ski patrol. The trails are open from dawn to dusk, and there is a midnight ski trip once a month. For the latest grooming information, check their web page (linked on the Bearings page).
Getting there: From the town of Chelan, drive four miles out of town on highway 150, then turn right on Boyd Road. Follow the signs to the Echo Valley Ski Resort. Pass the resort and the first Sno-Park. In another mile and a half, on a sharp switchback, stop at the Zoom Road Sno-Park. Current Sno-Park Pass required. In addition, there is a $5.00 per person, per day fee (2001) to use the groomed cross-country trails at Echo Ridge, to help defray the cost of plowing and sanding the access road. Season pass holders and children 12 and under ski free.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions.
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