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Kendall Trees

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Plan This Trip

At a Glance

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Distance

5 miles, roundtrip

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Elevation Gain

2,000 ft

landscape

High Point

5,423 ft

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Activity

Ski tour

Photo Highlights · January 2024

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Following the Pacific Crest Trail up through Commonwealth Basin

Plan This Trip

Why Go

Kendall Trees refers to the forested area rising up from the Commonwealth Creek along the eastern slopes of Kendall Peak and the minor ridge that extends westerly. It's often an area skied on the way out from other tours, such as skiing one of the many couloirs in the Kendall Adventure zone. However, given it's easy access and protected nature of the slopes within the lower trees, it's an area people flock to when there are avalanche or time concerns.

It's accessed by following the summer trail from Summit West which parallels Commonwealth Creek, and then breaking off and proceeding uphill once past the wide open area with exposed cliffs. There isn't a hard and fast rule on the exact area that is Kendall Trees, but it is generally considered to end once you leave the tree line on Kendall (there are isolated stands of trees that run farther up sections of Kendall).

Plan Carefully

Know Before
You Go

warning
Check current avalanche forecast and buried crust layers before heading out; Kendall Trees is a safe haven during high-hazard days but still requires situational awareness.
parking
Park free in lot W3 at Summit West Base Area (right side of entrance); confirm current parking policies on Summit at Snoqualmie's website before you go.
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This tour is best in winter conditions with adequate snow; timing matters—plan for afternoon access if coming from the west side after I-90 passes clear.
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Follow the summer trail from Summit West paralleling Commonwealth Creek, then break off into the forested slopes; the protected trees offer natural wind-slab mitigation.
thermostat
Expect rapid changes in conditions from Blewett Pass eastward; allow extra time for snow-covered roads and potentially slow travel on I-90.

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Plan This Trip

Route & Map

Plan This Trip

Getting There

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Directions

Head East on Interstate 90 and take Exit 52. From the offramp, turn right onto 906, and after 100 feet turn right into the Summit West Base Area, and use the parking lot on your right.

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Parking

Parking is available at the Summit West parking lot. As of the 2022/2023 season, you can park for free in lot W3, which is immediately on your right as you enter the Summit West Base Area. I would advise consulting with their website to determine where to park, as it may change in the future.

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Field Notes · Personal Trip Report

Trip Reports

I've hiked Kendall Trees twice — pick a visit to read its full report.

Dawn Patrol Duty Call

A last-minute morning tour before heading to the airport turned into my season's breakthrough run after months of waiting for conditions to align.

calendar_today January 8, 2024

straighten 6 miles, roundtrip · 2,430 ft gain

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An afternoon flight down to San Jose for work opened the possibility of a quick ski tour on the drive to the airport. As luck would have it, we were forecasted to get a bunch of snow with low temps around the time I was leaving, and I got in touch with a couple of folks through a mutual friend who were planning on going up to the Pass for a ski tour.

A good amount of recent snowfall, lingering concerns about buried crust layers and limited amount of time for a tour had us go to the old standby, Kendall Trees. My drive over to Snoqualmie Pass was somewhat slowed down by snow starting at Blewett Pass, but I made pretty good time and we were all ready shortly after 8:30am.

Because of the lackluster start of the winter, this was only my second tour of the season, and my first time touring at Snoqualmie Pass in well over a year, and it felt fitting to head up Kendall, whose slopes I have skied more time than I can count over the last 20 years. Even with the addition of the recent snow, it still felt early season, with small pine trees obstructing the skin path up the first part. Fortunately, the coverage improved as we continued upwards, and while there was an occasional wayward obstruction in the skin track, it was fairly smooth going forward.

Skinning below cliff bands in the Commonwealth

The lower section of Kendall Trees had been hit hard over the weekend, and upon reaching the avy swathe, we decided to keep heading up and to the right. Reaching the treeline, we opted to follow a skin track up through a stand of trees. There were no signs of instability, and the only other party ahead of us had taken a track to the left.

Heading up Kendall

The skin track kept heading up, but it seemed to be diminishing returns and there were some signs of wind effect on the snow, so we transitioned around 5,300ft and found a nice open path to the skiers left of the tree stand. I dropped in first, and the turns were fantastic, with nice light snow!

Thatcher enjoying turns down Kendall Trees

Chris shredding the powder

We skied all the way down to the flat section to the side of the avy path, and I bid farewell to Chris and Thatcher as they were going for lap 2 and I had to head back to the car to ensure I didn't miss my flight. The rest of the ski down through Kendall Trees was forgettable, with very little untracked powder left and still somewhat early season conditions.

Early season exit from Kendall Trees

I made it back to the car with an hour and half to make it to the airport, which turned out to be just enough time. It was a really fun day being back in my old stomping grounds, and great to meet some new folks. A quick tour, but I got in some great powder turns and had a good time!