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Trip Report    

Adventure Club - Cross-Country Ski Weekend! - North Fork Tieton (winter)

4 MAC Youth & 2 adults skied in 3.5 miles, found a great off-trail campsite, set up tents, skied out the next day

Becca Polglase Becca Polglase
February 27, 2017
  • Snow and ice on road

  • Trail was groomed with a double track on either side. Would've been ok on regular classic skis, very easy on BC skis. Called the Naches Ranger District in advance to check conditions and make sure it was ok to camp - they were very helpful.

This is a great location for an introductory ski/snow camping trip. Among trailed options, this is one of the best because it's a non-motorized Sno Park, and its relatively flat and beginner-friendly. We did this same trip a few years ago at Lost Lake, which was quite fun, but the shared trail at Lost Lake made it so that we heard snowmobiles all day. 

The day started off partly sunny. We had intended to ski to the end of the road (5 mi), but with new skiers and rental equipment, we were pleased with a fantastic campsite in the flats at about about mile 3.5. Tents set up, vestibules dug out for prime luxury, and kitchen area dug out with a nice big snow table in the middle. Built a fire in the middle of the table which quickly created its own pit, giving the eating area an outdoor grille atmosphere. We downed our fancy Mountain House around our fancy fire as the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in, making for the darkest of nights. By 7pm we climbed into our tents. Lows were in the low 20's so not super cold.

In the morning we were greeted with about an inch of new snow and a lovely snowy and relatively warm morning. Ate some tasteless Bob's Red Mill "Mighty Good Cereal", packed up and hit the trail by 10:30. The new snow made for softer but slower and occasionally sticky conditions. 

Both days we saw plenty of snowshoers with well-behaved dogs - no other skiers. We also saw a remarkable amount of scat as well as a kill trail. One of the skiers saw what looked like cougar tracks in the morning. There's no question that there's active wildlife in the area.

Overall an excellent trip!