Developing Sustainable Backcountry Access at Snoqualmie Pass

As winter recreation in Washington has increased in popularity over the past ten years,  Snoqualmie Pass has experienced growing pressure on its limited winter trailheads. Meeting this increased demand for winter trailhead parking at Snoqualmie Pass is challenging due to several factors:

• The majority of the parking lots and trailheads at Snoqualmie Pass are maintained and operated by the Summit at Snoqualmie. Recent shifts in management policy—most notably the introduction of a paid parking program for non-resort visitors starting in the 2024–25 season—have raised questions regarding long-term access for dispersed winter recreation. This change introduces new financial considerations for backcountry users and affects the overall availability of shared parking infrastructure. 

• Trailhead capacity is limited. While the Summit estimates it has about 5,000 parking spots across its four ski areas, there are only approximately 500 parking spots available between Hyak Sno-Park, Gold Creek Sno-Park, and parking on SR 906. The Alpental valley is only accessible via Summit-maintained parking areas, while parking for the Commonwealth Basin is available on a combination of Summit lots and SR 906.

• Snoqualmie Pass spans multiple jurisdictions, including two counties (Kittitas and King) and two National Forests (Mt.Baker-Snoqualmie and Okanogan-Wenatchee). This complex ownership landscape requires careful, intentional collaboration to ensure shared goals are met. 

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) North Trailhead at Snoqualmie Pass has emerged as a promising candidate for helping alleviate the parking scarcity while requiring minimal new investment. Adding public-use parking here would provide a non-Summit operated parking area and provide safer, more equitable access to the Commonwealth Basin and popular Kendall backcountry zones—a high-use recreation area valued by snowshoers, backcountry skiers, winter climbers, youth programs, and outdoor education groups.

Why PCT North?

The PCT North Trailhead parking lot is an excellent candidate for helping meet the needs of winter parking at Snoqualmie Pass for several reasons:

• The Commonwealth Basin and adjacent Kendall Peaks area have demonstrated high value as a winter destination, with an average of 100-150 visitors on weekend days during the winter months¹. 

• PCT North would provide an additional public parking option for dedicated access to a high-use winter recreation destination within 1 hour of the Seattle metro area. A user-funded public parking option will provide improved access to winter recreation on public lands without relying on ski area infrastructure. 

• The availability of parking at PCT North would reduce unsafe parking and pedestrian conditions along SR 906.

• Utilizing PCT North would leverage existing infrastructure rather than require investing in new, higher-cost and higher-impact projects.

¹ Based on data from the 2022-2023 winter season from NWAC’s Trailhead Outreach program in collaboration with University of Washington’s Recreation and Outdoor Data Lab.

A Straightforward Solution

One of the more effective solutions for creating a user-supported public parking option is to leverage the existing Sno-Park program operated by Washington State Parks. The Sno-Park program is funded by the sales of day and season passes and provides plowing, trail grooming, restroom maintenance, and other activities in support of winter trailheads throughout the Cascades. For comparison, while a Sno-Park day pass ($25) costs the same as one day of parking at Alpental, a season Sno-Park pass ($50) is much more economical. You can read more about Sno-Parks on our blog here.

Another benefit of the Sno-Park program is that because it is run by a state agency, it can help solve some of the multi-jurisdiction complications found at Snoqualmie Pass. In addition, many of the existing high-value trailhead infrastructure that could be utilized in support of sustainable winter recreation access is managed by the U.S Forest Service, which continues to experience significant budget shortfalls and staffing limitations, even as demand for winter recreation has increased. The Sno-Park program is a unique model that allows for the funding and operation of winter trailheads on Forest Service land without requiring financial input or significant staffing assistance from the Forest Service.

An important part of the Sno-Park program is the Winter Recreation Advisory Committee (WRAC). The WRAC is a volunteer-based board that works with Washington State Parks staff to review proposals for new Sno-Parks and determine which are funded.

An organization proposing a new Sno-Park must go through the following steps: 

1. Get approval from the land manager where the Sno-Park is proposed.

2. Submit an initial proposal, including an estimated budget for plowing and restroom maintenance, to the WRAC and the land manager.

3. Receive budget approval by a WRAC vote. If approved, the Sno-Park goes through a 3-year pilot program, requiring WRAC approval for additional funding each year.

Cascade Backcountry Alliance has been engaging multiple stakeholders, including the Forest Service, since early 2023 but so far has been unable to secure initial land manager approval from the Forest Service to submit our proposal, despite encouragement from the WRAC. 

Skiing in the Kendall zone. Photo credit: Will Russack

Current Challenges and Approaches

In early 2025, Cascade Backcountry Alliance brought together a broad coalition that included The Mountaineers, Washington Trails Association, Washington Alpine Club, the Alpine Lakes Foundation, and the Northwest Avalanche Center, who wrote letters of support for the creation of a Sno-Park at PCT North. Despite this widespread support, the Forest Service has declined to give permission for the submittal of a Sno-Park proposal, in part because of capacity reductions due to recent funding cutbacks and staffing losses. 

In addition, the Forest Service and other stakeholders have raised several concerns about a Sno-Park at PCT North, including:

1. Feasibility and cost of snow plowing, removal, and storage.

2. Potential impacts to wildlife from increased usage in the Commonwealth Basin.

3. Potential impacts to water quality in the South Fork Snoqualmie River from plowing and snow removal.

4. Displacement of educational programs, including the guided snowshoe tours operated by Discover Your Northwest and the Forest Service, which sometimes use the unplowed lot as a teaching area.

5. Increased risk of collisions between uphill and downhill travelers on the standard approach route in the Commonwealth Basin.

Cascade Backcountry Alliance has worked diligently to address each of these issues to the extent possible, understanding that until a pilot season is able to proceed, not all concerns will be able to be wholly addressed.

Plowing Feasibility

Over the course of a winter season, Snoqualmie Pass receives over 400 inches of snow on average, which makes plowing a challenge. To address concerns regarding feasibility, Cascade Backcountry Alliance has obtained bid estimates from plow operators who regularly work at Snoqualmie Pass to plow the lower PCT North lot. These bids indicate that experienced, local snow removal professionals believe plowing the lot is feasible. (The cost estimates we received vary widely based on snow totals. The WRAC, not Cascade Backcountry Alliance or the Forest Service, is responsible for deciding whether to fund the Sno-Park if it is approved.)

A related concern is snow storage. Plowed snow must be stored nearby to keep costs reasonable, but the storage location must also not cause environmental damage through excess runoff. We plan to partner with the Forest Service and other stakeholders, such as the Snoqualmie Tribe, to find a suitable snow storage location (such as the FR 58 junction) if the WRAC approves a Sno-Park proposal.

Wildlife Impacts

Cascade Backcountry Alliance recognizes that wildlife may alter their behavior due to winter recreation activities. We aim to partner with wildlife and conservation-focused partner organizations to educate backcountry users about wildlife conservation and winter travel. Given the already high weekend visitation in the Commonwealth Basin (100–150 users per weekend day), continuing to leverage areas of existing concentrated use can help reduce pressures on wildlife and prevent further recreation impacts in nearby critical wildlife corridors. 

Water Quality

Plowing doesn’t directly contaminate water, but it can accelerate the movement of sediments and pollutants already present on roads and can influence how these materials enter the watershed. Cascade Backcountry Alliance acknowledges concerns around water quality impacts from snow removal. We are currently working to understand potential water quality impacts and seek to work with our partners to identify possible mitigation techniques. 

Educational Programming 

Our proposal includes plowing the lower lot only; this would leave the upper equestrian lot unplowed and it could be used as an open ‘classroom area’ for educational groups. The creation of a PCT North Sno-Park would also reduce the need for participants in guided or educational groups to walk across or along SR 906, improving overall safety.

Route Safety Enhancements

Cascade Backcountry Alliance is investigating the feasibility of an alternate, voluntary downhill route for backcountry skiers and snowboarders to use when exiting the Commonwealth. This initiative would reduce the possibility of unintended collisions between uphill and downhill users and improve overall safety within the popular corridor.

Snoqualmie Pass Backcountry User Survey

In addition to working to directly address these challenges, Cascade Backcountry Alliance is launching a survey of backcountry users at Snoqualmie Pass during the 2025-26 winter season. This survey will gather user accounts of parking shortages, safety issues, and access inequities to provide evidence to land managers of unmet demand and unsafe conditions. We believe this data will strengthen our case for a PCT North Sno-Park both with the Forest Service and with the WRAC when we are able to bring a Sno-Park proposal.

We are partnering with Mountains to Sound Greenway, which will assist in distributing the survey through its Winter Trailhead Ambassadors program.

What Can You Do?

While we continue to advocate for a PCT North Sno-Park directly with the Forest Service, there are lots of ways you can show your support:

• Buy a Sno-Park pass! There is tons of great skiing and snowshoeing from our various Sno-Parks and having a robust budget each year allows new Sno-Parks to be funded and existing ones to be improved. 

• Join our e-mail list and follow us on social media to get updates on PCT North and how you can get involved in the initiatives identified above.

• Email your congressional representatives and senators and ask them to increase funding for the Forest Service to ensure sufficient staff capacity and resources for recreation infrastructure.  

• If you are part of an organization that uses the Snoqualmie backcountry and the organization is interested in writing a letter of support for a PCT North Sno-Park, please use this template and send to tess@cascadebackcountryalliance.com.