Advocacy Around Winter Parking for Backcountry Skiers/Riders in Washington

Last month, we reported on parking issues on Snoqualmie Pass. In short, wintertime backcountry users have limited opportunities to find near trailhead parking. The problem (no surprise here) is complex. Further, it echoes patterns found throughout much of the mountainous U.S. as people tap into the winter backcountry scene—a parking spot in winter can be hard to come by.

Not unlike many regions, Snoqualmie Pass has several private ski areas that lease land under a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service. These ski areas plow parking lots and use their financial resources to make it easier for those heading up from Puget Sound to park, gear up, and ski/ride. That’s a lot of people. Compounding the problem, as noted in our November story, is a general lack of ample sno-park parking at or near a trailhead offering desirable ski/ride terrain. Many backcountry users are not interested in tapping into managed ski area terrain.

The problem of a lack of parking is not going away. We need solutions. We contacted the Cascade Backcountry Alliance (CBA) to learn more about wintertime recreational parking in Washington and how the situation may evolve.

We get it, this is certainly not the sexiest of topics. However, the solutions may not be sufficient for backcountry skiers/riders without advocacy and collective buy-in. The parking conundrum in Washington isn’t unique to Washington (although the maze of bureaucratic hurdles might be).

OK, Washington. Wintertime parking at or near trailheads (or general access) isn’t so simple in this excellent state. In our email exchange with the CBA, we were connected with Will Russack, a board member involved with parking advocacy. For clarity, we’ll organize Russack’s email responses to our query around specific topics.

THR: What are the main ways to access winter backcountry in Washington and what are the basic requirements to access/park in those zones?