Winter driving through the Cascades

Submitted by belf_priest t3_zcln8j in Washington

Hey everyone! I'm planning a snowboarding trip in WA in early February. Starting out at Hurricane Ridge and making my way east to Mission Ridge. What kind of winter driving conditions should I expect passing through the mountain roads? I read for multiple resorts that in the areas surrounding them, sudden avalanche conditions are not uncommon and abrupt road closures are frequent.

I'm no stranger to spooky winter driving--I'm from Massachusetts and went to college in rural Maine, currently living in Michigan (hello lake effect snow). Looking for typical length of snowstorms, type of snow like heavy and wet, icy, or fairly dry, which towns are good places to hunker down if I get ambushed by a blizzard in transit, info like that so I can accomodate some buffer times into my planning. And for the Seattle-Wenatchee drive, would you recommend taking 2 or 90 for the safest bet? And I'll be taking my winter driving kit with me as well (chains, shovel, planks to get unstuck, mylar blankets, lantern, snacks, etc).

Please feel free to add any info that's important for me to know! Thank you all so much!

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Zhenja92 t1_iyy5s6q wrote

The key thing to keep in mind is that there is the possibility that you will be unable to get over the passes. Last winter, all three passes over the Cascades were closed for several days around new years - and, at one point, the route up the Columbia Gorge was closed to. My son and I had tickets out of Seattle but there was absolutely no way to get there. As for getting from Seattle to Weanatchee be aware that if you go over 90, you then have to take Blewett Pass as well (unless you do a detour through Gorge.) Keep an eye on the weather and be prepared to change plans.

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Huge_Requirement9200 t1_iyx6zm7 wrote

Wet snow, but dry snow occurs. Hurricane ridge has a poma and a rope tow but endless backcountry if you're a competent backcountry traveler and navigator. PA has hotels. Your drive from PA to highway 2 will be dark and very rainy in all in likelihood.

You will need chains to fit your car, mandatory at national parks (hurricane ridge). Be reasonable driving the ridge, but don't go 15 mph. You will go from sea level to 5250' in about 40 mins so it will be a bit if a different drive for you if you are from the east coast.

Highway 2 can be really sketchy. Many bad accidents on that road. People drive like idiots on it. Get to Stevens really, really early for a parking spot on a weekend. Like 5 am early. Prepare for lines and an inadequately staffed resort. Give the finger to Vail while there for maximum effect. Idk about lodging, Leavenworth is maybe kind of somewhat close but expensive and tourist-ey.

90 then up to Wenatchee might be a good bet, but 2 is fairly reliable, if not traffic laden.

Alpental has some of the best terrain in the state if you hit it on a slow weekday. (I-90) but a terrifying nightmare on the weekends.

Mission is supposed to be rad and less crowded. Wenatchee is pretty.

Go to loup loup.

Avalanche conditions can and do close all of these roads throughout the winter.

Good luck

Edit: PA is really quite far for the tiniest amount of terrain. It is not worth it unless you and your buddy are experienced Backcountry skiers/boarders. I say buddy because you should not enter the backcountry alone. Realistically it takes 3 hours from here to Seattle if you miss a boat (common) or have to engage with Tacoma at all. Don't do what Google says and drive through Olympia. Take the Tacoma narrows bridge.

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belf_priest OP t1_iyxbwya wrote

Thank you so much for the details!! In all honesty I don't mind at all that hurricane ridge is on the small side, I'm not into the whole gigantic overpacked resort scene anyway. I was going to take up a couple private lessons while I'm there so I won't be navigating deep pow and backcountry on my own. My home mountain here in michigan (mt bohemia) partners with various resorts out West to give lift tickets to season pass holders, and hurricane ridge/mission ridge are among them which is why I'm hitting them up. Stevens gives me pause because Vail lmfao. But I'll keep it mind!

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pala4833 t1_iyxh69k wrote

> hurricane ridge/mission ridge

How many days do you have? Have you looked to see just how far apart those two places are?

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belf_priest OP t1_iyxhwcl wrote

Yep, I got my itinerary all planned out. I'm breaking it up into chunks so I'll spend the week slowly trekking eastward, not doing a cannonball run in one day

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pala4833 t1_iyxi3k3 wrote

That sounds good. People often underestimate how remote PA is.

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Huge_Requirement9200 t1_iyy1a2v wrote

Whistler is fucking wild man. You should just got to Whistler as a whole trip.

Hurricane ridge is closed m-th, and absolutely packed at times. Beware.

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Huge_Requirement9200 t1_iyy1xnz wrote

Also you should know the poma didn't open last year. Snowpack has been fickle lately

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Wellcraft19 t1_iyxlt08 wrote

Are you renting a car? Need a set of chains - and know how to put them on. More likely for HR than anywhere else though. Expect wet roads. If it snows, not that common after all, expect roads (be it US-2 or I-90) to close down until cleared. Chains will be required going up and over the pass. Go slowly.

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belf_priest OP t1_iyxm79c wrote

I will be renting a car since I'm flying in, and I know how to put chains on since I've used them in the Northeast before--will likely need to buy a fresh set when I arrive in Seattle since I can guarantee you the tires on my rental car will be larger than the ones on my own car unless chains are a one size fits all kinda deal? My car has extremely small tires that are basically rubber bands on rims because I'm too stubborn to give up my civic SI even though that thing is NOT designed for winter driving hahahah

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Wellcraft19 t1_iyxmer5 wrote

You can buy chains at Les Schwab, and if unused, you can return them for a full refund. Not that uncommon. In over 24 years here, only used chains once.

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belf_priest OP t1_iyxmhf0 wrote

Thanks for the rec!!

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Wellcraft19 t1_iyxmu76 wrote

More than welcome. As for distances, Hurricane Ridge is only 60 miles from Seattle (+ferry ride), and Steven’s Pass, about 55. Snoqualmie Pass less than 50, so you’re not going to experience any massive distances.

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Huge_Requirement9200 t1_iyy1gl4 wrote

Hahaha as the crow flies maybe.

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Wellcraft19 t1_iyy3o4i wrote

Yea of course, my bad 🤷‍♂️. Sorry. HR 100+ miles from Settle and Steven’s about 70 miles. Still easily go from HR to Steven’s in a long morning.

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pala4833 t1_iyycusb wrote

> Still easily go from HR to Steven’s in a long morning.

What? No.

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DangerousMusic14 t1_iyxp81x wrote

These are some treacherous areas for driving. It’s not just snow, these are serious mountains and you can get stuck in some dangerous driving conditions making for a pretty crummy/sketchy experience if you get stuck.

I’d be prepared for closures. You’ll need chains. AWD with traction control is a strong preference.

If you’re doing it for skiing, I’d do N-S rather than E-W and start with Whistler BC then Mt Baker, Steven’s Pass, Crystal Mt, Mt Bachelor or the like.

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belf_priest OP t1_iyxpwpb wrote

So my thinking was to do EW so I can take advantage of the free day passes I get to hurricane ridge & mission ridge from having a season pass to my home mountain (mt bohemia does resort partnerships). I was planning on hitting up stevens and possibly snoqualmie in between.

As much as I salivate at the idea of being so close to WBC and Crystal, the day pass prices are definitely very high compared to what I was budgeting for. In your experience, would you recommend them as worth it despite the price, versus getting free passes to the other places?

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kkicinski t1_iyxvd02 wrote

No, I wouldn’t. Crystal is a big mountain, bigger than you can really ski in one day. It’s a nice mountain with good snow, don’t get me wrong. But parking can be a nightmare, it’s a long day to go out there and back, and it’s expensive. The smaller resorts are fine. I ski at Summit Central, because that’s where my kids’ lessons are. I pretty much ski Silver Fir lift, with occasional runs on Rampart and Central Express, which are the two lifts adjacent either side. A giant mountain isn’t necessary, a couple lifts with good runs is all you need.

Hurricane Ridge is a long way to go for a poma lift, though. I mean it could make for a nice adventure to go all the way out there, but getting to and from the peninsula is very time consuming- it’s a lot of travel for a little skiing. And tough to do as a day trip from Seattle unless you only ski a couple hours. So you have to factor the cost of a hotel for 1-2 nights into your plans.

Others have mentioned Alpental. It’s reasonably priced and a local gem, especially if you are an experienced skier. The other Summit resorts are good value- not the best snow or terrain in the area but they treat folks well and as I said prices are reasonable.

Re: Highway 2 or I-90, you’ll need to check conditions on the WSDOT website or even better get the WSDOT app. Hwy 2 is fine for going east usually, but late in the day on weekends it is an absolute disaster getting home. It’s a 2-lane highway and it just backs up. It can take 3 hours to get home from Stevens Pass on a weekend. So if you’re returning from Wenatchee I’d recommend taking I-90. But again that’s all dependent on conditions and our weather can’t be predicted accurately more than 2 days in advance, so there’s just no way to know ahead of time what you’ll encounter. Could be clear, could be a blizzard.

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DangerousMusic14 t1_iyysm4n wrote

I’ll take Whistler-Blackcomb over all the others. Loft tix and lodging is pricey though.

Snoqualmie is open for night skiing but it’s pretty low altitude. It’s a short drive from Seattle so you can enjoy the metro area and ski same day most of the time.

Steven’s Pass is a good place to ski and the free pass makes it worth the drive.

Hurricane Ridge has a significant risk of closure.

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pala4833 t1_iyycgii wrote

You want to turn traction control off when driving in snow. Especially if you have chains on.

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DangerousMusic14 t1_iyyrvqq wrote

Hopefully, with AWD and traction control, you can avoid the chains.

Add: I’ll take a Subaru, Audi, or AWD Acura w/winter tires w/control in the mountains.

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pala4833 t1_iyyvosc wrote

You want traction control off in both cases. With it on, it will apply the breaks and if you hit a slippery spot it will send you into a slide.

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[deleted] t1_iyyvtq5 wrote

[deleted]

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pala4833 t1_iyyw1x5 wrote

Applying the break on the appropriate wheel in order to maintain traction is simply how traction control systems work.

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AmericanRN t1_iyyubrv wrote

Do yourself a favour and rent a 4wd Jeep or truck.

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E36E92M3 t1_iyz2qbv wrote

Stick to i90, interstate gets the highest priority and money for road plowing. Take a car with blizzaks and AWD, drive slowly. Check wadot twitter before you go

You might know how to drive in winter but assume everybody else around you doesn’t. Daily life in western WA does not translate to the extreme winter conditions found in the passes and people crash all the time.

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washdot t1_iyz6kzl wrote

I drive to Winthrop WA once a month year round. I-90, Blewett pass is the safest. Much more plowing on those 2 and a lot more passing lanes than the death trap highway 2. Just be checking the WashDot website for mountain passes and their webcam reports.

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pala4833 t1_iz0ljti wrote

/u/dangerousmusic14 Hey, where'd you go with that sassy mouth of yours? So you figured out you had no idea how traction control works, so you delete you comments and then block me. What a fucking coward.

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