2016 Snow Level Thread

[kepPNW]

I snowshoed in to Goose Lake off of FR 60 just south of Indian Heaven. Road was blocked just in from Atkisson snopark and the 8 mile road walk was 80% snow covered but melting fast. Some places still had 6 feet deep snow on the road so it will be a while till you can drive in. The first dozen campsites at Goose Lake were melted out as was the lake. A Forest Service truck was stuck in the snow at the first snowbank and they were digging it out. Somebody had driven in as far as the Natural Bridges turn but you needed really high clearance for that, far more than my Subaru.

Just today I was thinking to myself that I bet I could drive to camp crest from the West. From your report on the eastern side, I was way off base haha. Thanks for the update

Wow, someone was telling me just this morning that it was open from Four Corners to Crest Camp. Puzzling now...

[drm]

GPNF conditions report dated 4/28 says you cannot reach Crest Camp. I think the west end of 60 from Four Corners melts out before the east due to less shade from trees along the road, so maybe you can get to Crest Camp just in the last few days but probably not to Goose Lake, which is only a little further. But ti's supposed to be hot again next week so it won't be long.

[kepPNW]

GPNF conditions report dated 4/28 says you cannot reach Crest Camp. I think the west end of 60 from Four Corners melts out before the east due to less shade from trees along the road, so maybe you can get to Crest Camp just in the last few days but probably not to Goose Lake, which is only a little further. But ti's supposed to be hot again next week so it won't be long.

Boy, kind of amazing, given Four Corners is only 2800', huh? Might have to find out!

[bushwhacker]

I made a pass though there on Monday. You can get to just past the road that goes up to Red Mt. There is a definite snow line where it goes from no snow to all snow.

road 60

road 60

Indian Race Track

View from Red Mt.

A bunch of goat tracks on the way up to Red Mt. I could see a couple of them napping off in the distance on a melted out spot. Must be migrants from Adams.

BTW: snowshoes are required. And getting up to Red Mt from the race track is brutal with the steepness and squishy snow and melted out tree wells.

[kepPNW]

I made a pass though there on Monday. You can get to just past the road that goes up to Red Mt. There is a definite snow line where it goes from no snow to all snow.

<snip>

A bunch of goat tracks on the way up to Red Mt. I could see a couple of them napping off in the distance on a melted out spot. Must be migrants from Adams.

BTW: snowshoes are required. And getting up to Red Mt from the race track is brutal with the steepness and squishy snow and melted out tree wells.

Yikes! That's a whole lot more snow than I had expected. The same elevations in the Gorge are barren. Totally appreciate the report! (Cool sighting with the goats! Not the first I've heard of them in IHW. I like that they're apparently moving on in!)

[Webfoot]

The NOHRSC snow map is far from perfect and paints with a broad brush but I think you might find it useful. It shows up to about 100 inches of snow in the Indian Racetrack area.

[kepPNW]

The NOHRSC snow map is far from perfect and paints with a broad brush but I think you might find it useful. It shows up to about 100 inches of snow in the Indian Racetrack area.

My cursor waving would argue about half that, but yeah, quite a bit up there. However, that map also indicates virtually no snow at Crest Camp TH, and perhaps 12-16 at the Horse Camp TH.

[drm]

Indian Heaven (of which Red Mtn is at the edge of) has a microclimate all it's own and it is typical that snowmelt is slower than other areas in the region for a given altitude. The nearest snotel at Surprise Lakes (NE of Indian Heaven) at 4290 feet indicates 58 inches of snow today. It was 75 inches one week ago. This microclimate seems to extend south to Trapper Creek as well. The FS report from a few days ago says there is two feet of snow at Soda Peaks Lake, which is the same altitude as melted-out Wahtum Lake.

[kepPNW]

Yeah, I could see more snow in Trapper Creek than on Defiance, the other day, from the Weldon Wagon Trail. I've been beaten more than I'd like to say, trying to get up to Observation Peak too early in the year.

[Webfoot]

I took the afternoon to do some driving west from Wind River Highway and I was stopped by snow at two points. I tried to make it to Lookout Mountain but hit snow at (45.8094, -122.0883) which is at 3550 ft, and I drove NF-54 from the east until I hit snow at (45.8798, -122.0638) which is also at 3550 ft, perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not.