Cross Country Skiing in Washington

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Map of Washington Ski Areas

Most of Washington's 30-odd cross-country ski areas are Sno-Parks located in the Cascade Range and Selkirk Mountains. All cars parked in designated Sno-Park areas must have a Sno-Park pass, available at many retail outlets and from the State Parks Winter Rec. Office. Methow Valley is among the largest nordic networks in the country with a total of 170 km of groomed trails in four interconnected areas (#3-#6).

Map of Washington

Cross Country Ski Areas in Washington

Location	Length	Nbr of Ratings	Average Rating
1 Hurricane Ridge Ski Area	30 km BC
2 Salmon Ridge Sno-Park	30 km
3-6 Methow Valley Ski Trails (MVST)	175 km	3	4.7
7 Loup Loup Ski Bowl	30 km
8 Highlands Sno-Park	18 km
9 Boulder Deer Creek Summit	17 km
10 Frater Lake	16 km
11 Little Pend Oreille	10 km
12 49 Degrees North Ski Resort	10 km
13 Geophysical Trails Sno-Park	10 km
14 Mount Spokane State Park	25 km	2	4.5
15 Spokane Area Sno-Parks	10 km
16 Riverside SP Sno-Park	7 km
17 Echo Valley Ski Area	28 km	1	5.0
18 Lake Wenatchee State Park	30 km
19 Leavenworth Trails	23 km	1	4.5
20 Stevens Pass	25 km
21 Ski Acres & Hyak Cross Country	55 km	1	4.5
22 Iron Horse State Park	11 km	1	2.5
23 Cabin Creek Sno-Park	12 km	4	4.0
24 Swauk Creek Sno-Park	�	1	4.0
25 Mount Rainier National Park	BC trails	4	4.1
26 Mount Tahoma Trails Association	60 km BC	1	4.5
27 Sun Top Sno-Park	30 km BC
28 White Pass Village Ski Area	15 km	2	4.0
29 Marble Mountain Sno-Park	94 km BC
30 Wind River Sno-Parks	30 km
31 Pineside Sno-Park	14 km
32 Atkisson Sno-Park	21 km BC
33 Flying L Ranch	19 km
34 Fields Spring State Park	12 km	1	2.0

Index of Washington XC Ski Areas

Trail ratings are submitted by visitors to this site who have skied the trails and thus are subjective. You can rate the trails at an area that you have visited by clicking on the "Rate this Area" link found under that area's listing.

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Backcountry Skiing

Backcountry ski trails are found in many mountain areas. Pick up a map at the nearest ranger station before heading out to ski on backcountry trails as maps are seldom available at the trailhead. When skiing in backcountry areas, it is especially important to follow the basic winter safety precautions.

There a couple of backcountry hut systems in the state:

Rendezvous Hut System in Methow Valley has one of the few backcountry hut systems with groomed trails.
Mt. Tahoma Trails Association operates four backcountry huts in the Ashford area.

Backcountry cabins can be rented from many of the national forests.

CAUTION Avalanche Danger: Before skiing on backcountry trails in mountainous areas, take the necessary avalanche safety precautions.
Northwest Avalanche Hotline: 206-526-6677
Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center | Cyberspace Avalanche Center | Westwide Avalanche Network

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XC Skiing Resources

Nature of the Northwest has info on national forests and cabin rentals.

The booklet "Groomed Cross-Country Ski Trails Guide" can be purchased from Washington State Parks for about $5 (2005) but the guide does not contain maps.

Northwest XC Clubs | XC Events