"I would probably recommend this trip to a friend."
The Pipe Creek Sno-Park near Swauk Pass is one of the few skier-only trails in the area. In fact, it’s bounded by a veritable snowmobile freeway. If we're lucky, Pipe Creek's trails might occasionally be groomed. Pipe Creek Sno-Park has the advantage of plenty of plowed parking space.
There are a few options for out-and-back ski trips that will take a morning to ski, leaving time to have lunch in Leavenworth before heading home. With a little map-and- compass navigation, however, any of the routes can be combined into an all-day loop trip, with a lunch break and time to carve some tele turns.
The easiest trails follow a road east, paralleling Highway 97 uphill toward the summit of Swauk Pass. At the first fork, bear right past a clearcut, staying on the road. This leads to Swauk Meadows, a great place to spend an hour, especially if the sun is out.
Skiing straight ahead, leaving the road and entering the forest, you can ski to the top of a small hill, and have a view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day. Navigating your way down the north side of the hill will place you on a trail that forms a short loop, following Highway 97 back down to the parking lot.
For terrain that is more challenging, but by no means of mountaineering status, take Forest Road 140, which climbs from the parking lot up the Pipe Creek canyon. The route is steeper, but if you don’t want to descend this way, navigate to Forest Road 9711 and dodge the snowmobiles along their route, almost to the Swauk Pass Sno-Park. Then turn left and return to the car via one of the easier, safer routes described above.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions.
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