Wagon Road Trail #642

[christabrews]

We finally bought our own XC skis for this year. I was researching new places to try later this season, and found the Wagon Road Trail on the FS website. I thought it might make a good shuttle XC ski trail, since it's all downhill. However, I was wondering if it's too steep for XC skis? Looks like about 1500 ft elevation loss in less than 3 miles.

[cfm]

The answer depends on how strong a skiier you are!

Is that the Weldon Wagon Road or the Santiam Wagon road or some other wagon road you are referring to? I've skiied two stretches of the Santiam Wagon road and it is pretty gentle. Fun tour.

[drm]

Crawford Oaks can be decent if we get some good lowland snow. I've done it a couple times. The grasslands and lack of large rocks makes it fairly easy to cover, since we rarely get a real base down low.

[christabrews]

The answer depends on how strong a skiier you are!

Is that the Weldon Wagon Road or the Santiam Wagon road or some other wagon road you are referring to? I've skiied two stretches of the Santiam Wagon road and it is pretty gentle. Fun tour.

It's this wagon road trail, starts at Cloud Cap:

[bobcat]

I don't think you can do this as a shuttle. If there's enough snow to ski, then Cloud Cap Road will be closed as well. Most people take the Tilly Jane Ski Trail to the Cloud Cap area; some stay overnight at Tilly Jane. It's a good trail, decent grade for both going up and down on regular X-country skis. There should always be tracks, so you won't get lost.

[christabrews]

Oh okay, got it. Thanks!

The FS website said that the trail is best done downhill on skis, so I thought that mean the TH would be accessible.

[cfm]

Yes that is a good spot to ski. You can go up it, it's not too steep. In the early part it can be messy with lots of boot and snowshoe tracks, but people without skis dont get very far, so when you get higher up it will smooth out.

If you are a strong climber, a great tour is to go up the Tilly Jane trail and come down the wagon road- and you dont even need to stay on the road- the forest has some very fine gentle downhill for making nice wide step turns.

Just below Cloud Cap

[drm]

Since the area is burned, you need a pretty good snow base to cover fallen trees.

And just a note that the Tilly Jane Trail is steep. You need strong skiing skills to come down that trail. And you probably need climbing skins to ski up it.