Washinton Backcountry Skiing
Backcountry Skiing in Washington
This page is currently in BETA. The conditions section shows snow totals, both observed and forecasted, for a couple of backcountry ski locations in Washington State. The region section links to pages built for various regions, where you will find additional information about the region. Currently only Higway 20 is complete, but additional regions seen in the conditions section will be added.Placeholder in dev for ad
conditions
regions
Highway 20
Washington State Highway 20 (the North Cascades Highway) is a classic backcountry skiing corridor, offering roadside access to alpine terrain, though the road is seasonally closed from roughly November through May. While the highway is still open in late fall, it can be an excellent option for early-season ski tours thanks to high elevations and easy pullouts, and in spring it becomes a popular destination as the snowpack stabilizes and the road opens. During the winter closure, there are a few worthwhile tours on the west side of the range, including Ruby Mountain, which remains a favorite for its quality skiing and relatively straightforward access. On the east side, winter touring options depend heavily on where the closure gate is set: if the gate is at Silver Star, several non–snowmobile-accessed ski tours are reasonably attainable, but if access is limited to the Early Winters Sno-Park, the approaches become significantly longer, turning even moderate objectives into big days.
