Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

General discussions on hiking in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
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drm
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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by drm » April 17th, 2017, 3:02 pm

The road to South Climb on Mt Adams is still closed at the very beginning due to a snow plow berm, which is not much above 2000 feet. Past the berm the snow stops and starts and is usually pretty thin. But snow cover is pretty consistent after a mile or two, and 3-4 feet deep above 4000'.

Aimless
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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by Aimless » April 22nd, 2017, 10:14 am

A few days ago (4/18) I hiked up toward Benson Plateau on the PCT, having started at the Herman Creek TH and crossed to the PCT on the connector trail over the creek. The trail was in good shape generally and the first snow patch I encountered was just a few feet before I reached the "red spot" viewpoint a half mile or so before Tea Kettle Spring. That's at about 3000 feet. Above there residual snow covered the trail almost completely and I turned around. The transition from no snow to snow-covered was very abrupt the moment I left the viewpoint.

TodF
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Cast Creek 4/21/17

Post by TodF » April 22nd, 2017, 4:46 pm

I hit snow on the Cast Creek trail on the west side of Mt. Hood at about 3400 feet, it was pretty much everywhere by 3800-4000 feet.

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Chip Down
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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by Chip Down » April 23rd, 2017, 12:50 pm

Aimless wrote:A few days ago (4/18) I hiked up toward Benson Plateau on the PCT, having started at the Herman Creek TH and crossed to the PCT on the connector trail over the creek. The trail was in good shape generally and the first snow patch I encountered was just a few feet before I reached the "red spot" viewpoint a half mile or so before Tea Kettle Spring. That's at about 3000 feet. Above there residual snow covered the trail almost completely and I turned around. The transition from no snow to snow-covered was very abrupt the moment I left the viewpoint.
Quite abrupt indeed. If one were to continue, the following would be observed:
Easy to follow through firm snow to the spring. Above there, no boot-track, only the occasional sawcut to offer reassurance (maybe blazes, but I don't recall seeing any). Curiously bare at 3700' where the trail turns left at a flat open area before a slight drop, and then it's snowy again. There's a bit of a ridge to your left, and the trail is wide enough to drive a jeep on, so these things offer some help, but otherwise there's no way to spot the trail in the snow. Oh, lots of sawcuts too, that helps.
Snow is firm and easy to walk on. Dirty, picking up some litter, so don't expect to be able to see your footprints reliably.

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romann
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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by romann » April 25th, 2017, 9:02 pm

Looking at Mt. Hood test site (5370'), it's only 92% right now (pretty surprising, actually). Nothing close to Cali's 200-300's percentile. Of course it can pick up some more this week. Also if the melt gets delayed after May 10th, we may get into above average territory.
Hood4.25.17.jpg
That's SWE values - actual snow depth 11.3 feet
It quickly gets better than average (or worse, depending on how you look at it) as you go lower - 145% near Indian Heaven (chart below) and around 200% at MSH. Also note the "typical" melt in IHW starts around 4/19, but for now the snowpack is still growing.
IndHeaven4.25.17.jpg
Actual snow depth 10.5 feet at 4,290' - and that's just above trailhead elevations, not the heart of IHW!
My favorite interactive snotel map (just remember to change the date)
Screenshot.jpg
And lastly, NASA Worldview map - unfortunately it's low resolution and cannot see through clouds, but still pretty cool source to use for "big picture" sort of things
Screenshot2.jpg

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drm
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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by drm » May 10th, 2017, 2:41 pm

Snow level in Lewis River area was about 2000 feet on May 8. And FR 90 has some major damage meaning that only high clearance vehicles can make it to Lower Falls. But the road over Old Man Pass and Curly Creek Road is open, so you can drive to Curly Creek and walk in. One guy told me a Subaru could not make it, only jeeps were getting in. :cry: Than I saw a Subaru parked at the Middle Falls trailhead. :lol:

Aimless
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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by Aimless » May 10th, 2017, 7:36 pm

I hiked today (Wednesday, May 10) in the Salmon-Huckleberry wilderness, on the Boulder Ridge trail out of Wildwood Recreation Area. The trail was in decent shape with very little new blowdown or damage. First visible snow was in small patches on a north-trending slope at approx. 3700 feet. The trail remained about 99% snow free until about a 1/4 mile after the junction of the Boulder Ridge Trail with the Plaza trail, at approx. 3850 feet elevation. This increased to 50% trail coverage at 3900 feet and 100% just below 4000 feet. Rather than wet out my trail shoes I turned back with about 0.3 or 0.4 miles remaining before the top of Huckleberry Mtn. Still, it was a great day's hiking!

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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by bushwhacker » May 12th, 2017, 2:37 pm

I decided to visit the high country on Monday and went up to the Cooper Spur shelter to see what was going on. Snow pretty much from beginning to end. I started early enough where the snow was hard enough to just hike up to just below the Tilly Jane shelter then changed to snow shoes for the rest of it.

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DSC02480b.jpg
Yup, still there. The inside was full of snow as per normal.
DSC02483b.jpg
I still had time to burn so followed the Timberline Trail a ways. The snow was mush by now and travel would have been difficult without snow shoes.
DSC02487b.jpg

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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by adamschneider » May 12th, 2017, 2:51 pm

I drove down from Santiam Pass last Sunday (May 7), and there were still significant snow patches in the woods almost all the way down to Marion Forks at about 2500'.

Eschmalzer
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Re: Official 2017 Snow Level Thread

Post by Eschmalzer » May 14th, 2017, 11:40 am

Does anyone have any snow level information on the Pamelia Lake & Grizzly Peak area down near Jefferson? (or where I can find it?) We are thinking of doing a day hike there next weekend.

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