Avalanche Mountain via Snow Lake Trail makes for the shortest route to the peak. Starting from the Alpental Ski Area below Snoqualmie Mountain, it’s a 2.5-mile hike to the pass. Then, it’s just over a mile of traverse to the summit from the west.
See more trip photos here.
Avalanche Mountain at a Glance
Access: Snoqualmie Alpental Ski Area
Round Trip: 7.3 miles
Elevation Range: 3120′-5360′
Essential Gear: microspikes, snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance
Playlist: Ooyy
En Route to Avalanche Mountain via Snow Lake Trail
We continued our New Year’s pilgrimage after skipping last year due to the inclement weather. It was perhaps one of our least exciting end-of-the-year outings, with rain and no views. But I was happy to see the gorgeous forecast for the next few days.
I felt comfortable bringing Connor this year since the morning was 10 degrees warmer. We began from the packed-down trail at the crack of dawn in 22° F weather. Before long, we reached the Snow Lake Trail fork as the decent path continued.
See more trip photos here.
Exploring Alpine Lakes Wilderness by Snoqualmie Mountain
Given the recent decent weather, folks have made their way to the pass. So it felt great not to have to break trail from the fork. Even going under the cliffs through firm snow was a breeze. Afterward, we took a break by the wilderness sign, where I put on snowshoes.
Sadly, it was our turn to carve out a trail into the west basin of the mountain. But like the times before, the short traverse soon brought us above Lake 4240. Instead of attaining the lower ridge, we went straight up the steep west slope and came out at 5200′.
See more trip photos here.
Leaving Avalanche Mountain via Snow Lake Trail
A short traverse north on the crest soon put us on the rocky summit in the sun. It was also Connor’s first time on the peak—exciting stuff! It wasn’t windy, but the clouds were shifting everywhere. Middle Snoqualmie River Valley turned cloudy shortly after we arrived.
Unfortunately, the inversion over Snow Lake, which I had hoped to see, didn’t happen this year. However, we waited a while for the mist to lower before leaving after an extended visit. On the way back to the pass, we noticed pairs of new ski tracks in the west basin.
See more trip photos here.