Winter backpacks?

Trip recommendations, current conditions, and other trail related Q&A
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Whomprat
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Winter backpacks?

Post by Whomprat » October 30th, 2017, 10:10 pm

Hello everyone! Does anyone have any good thoughts for a nice overnight into winter time? Maybe a nice snowshoe to camp for a night? It's trickier to think of a good place to go during the winter than it is in summer...

btw, we ARE experienced in camping in the snow, so that's not as much of an issue. It's not going to be a first at all. Preparedness is key.

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retired jerry
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Re: Winter backpacks?

Post by retired jerry » October 31st, 2017, 5:21 am

click on "field guide" then "winter and spring backpacking"

except those are pretty much snow free trips

Aimless
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Re: Winter backpacks?

Post by Aimless » October 31st, 2017, 7:00 pm

I don't backpack in snow, but it seems to me the main piece of info you'll need is to know which roads are cleared and how far. That should be available from the ranger station for each ranger district. You could also ask them where snowmobiles are excluded.

What sort of features in a snow camping site appeal most to you? That might help others to steer you to an area of interest.

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retired jerry
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Re: Winter backpacks?

Post by retired jerry » November 1st, 2017, 5:46 am

Old Maid Flat could be good. It's sort of low elevation but has snow some. They plow Lolo Pass Road for a few miles, so you you could drive that and as far beyond as you wanted. The road is usually gated where it crosses the Sandy. Take road/trail to Ramona Falls. About 4 miles to where the trail crosses the Sandy, which you might not want to do, and another 2 miles to Ramona Falls.

White River is another possibility. Park at the sno-park, then hike up towards Mt Hood

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Charley
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Re: Winter backpacks?

Post by Charley » November 1st, 2017, 11:54 am

White River is the classic intro into snow camping for a lot of folks:
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It's not the largest area for winter travel, but there's a good afternoon of exploring (especially if you explore south of the highway, too). Just stay out of the avalanche slopes.

Pocket Creek has a good bench for snow camping, with a view of Mt Hood. Bennett Pass is a potentially really long ski with a great payoff at Bonney Buttes. I've always wanted to camp there.

The classic long trip in the state is the loop around Crater Lake. It's about 30 miles of rollercoasting on the Rim Road (and off, if you take the avvy bypasses). I know people do it on snowshoes, but it's a premier nordic backcountry ski, and totally doable for mere mortals.
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Two other options:
McKenzie Pass is normally an excellent road ski up to lava flats at the base of Belknap Crater and North Sister. It may not be open this winter due to fire damage. Last year we camped at the the Observatory at the Pass:
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The big kahuna in the State is a wintertime loop around the Three Sisters. Avalanche terrain, river crossings, navigation challenges, weather uncertainty, steep terrain. . . the route has it all. I've never done it, but my ski partner and I are practically chomping at the bit to do it.

Have a good time when the snow flies!
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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retired jerry
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Re: Winter backpacks?

Post by retired jerry » November 1st, 2017, 12:34 pm

did you sleep inside the observatory at McKenzie Pass? That would be sort of cool.

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drm
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Re: Winter backpacks?

Post by drm » November 1st, 2017, 3:16 pm

A general plan can be to go to any snowpark and head out from there. Using a snowpark as a trailhead means you're already in the snow. They all have snowed over (i.e. unplowed) roads so if you want really easy terrain you can take one of those roads and then just find some spot off the the side that suits you. Or you can just head out and up from the snowpark.

On Mt Hood, the White River snopark is a popular place to do this from, though the first few miles can be really crowded with daytrippers on weekends. I've done it from the snoparks north of Trout Lake - lots of snowmobiles during the day but they are all gone before the sun sets. If the low-level roads are not completely snowed in yet, the road that heads towards the South Climb of Mt Adams can be a great place to just drive up as far as you can and then head up in the snow as much farther as you want. If you can get as far as where the South Climb trail crosses the Round the Mtn Trail, there are lots of flat places to camp with great views, but there are some good places well below that too.

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