Adventures with Jake: Sledding Near Snoqualmie

Sledding Near Snoqualmie

Interested in sledding near Snoqualmie Pass? Here are 2 options to check out this winter with some variety in amenities, activities, and cost.

#1 - Hyak Sledding Hill

Hyak Sledding Hill is a great place for sledding. The parking lot is adjacent to the Iron Horse Trail, which also makes it a great starting point for cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and relatively flat hikes on groomed trails. Here's a trip report from 2 years ago when Jake & I took an easy snowy hike along the Iron Horse Trail & Keechelus Lake: http://dotsonstories.blogspot.com/2015/01/keechelus-lake-iron-horse-trail.html

Features of Hyak include:

1. A sledding hill long enough to be fun for older kids

2. A ski patrol / sledding "lifeguard" at the top of the big sledding hill during peak times to help manage safety

3. A couple of smaller, unofficial sledding hills great for younger kids

4. A *heated* restroom facility in the middle of the parking lot with running water. This makes potty breaks so much easier for little ones compared to sanican or no facilities, like most sledding hills.

5. You can bring your own sled, so you can choose what style of sledding or tubing your family prefers.

6. It is very close to I-90, so it is likely that the road will be maintained about as well as any road up at Snoqualmie.

Things to be aware of:

1. While the road to the entrance of the Hyak Sledding Hill is likely to be as drivable as any road in the area, there is a small hill from the road up into the parking lot. This is not always as sanded or de-iced as I would expect for an entrance to a sledding hill. Bring chains with you (as with any snowy outing), practice putting them on before going, and be prepared to put them on if needed. There was a lot of snow in the parking lot, I did not need chains for my Honda Odyssey, and very few cars in the lot had chains. The heavy traffic in and out kept the road driveable, but if you go on a day where it's been sunny for a few days, which could result in melting & re-freezing, come prepared.

2. Both a Washington State Discover Pass and a Snow Park Pass with Groomed sticker are required.

Permit Details:

To park in this lot, you need both a Discover Pass and a Sno-Park pass with the groomed sticker. A day pass for the Discover Pass costs about $10 and a day pass for the groomed Sno-Park Pass costs $20. You can pay on-site via an attendant if the entry booth is staffed or at the pay station in the parking lot. Both accept credit cards. An annual Discover Pass runs about $30 and an annual Sno-Park Pass with the groomed lot sticker runs $80, so if you plan on coming more than 3 or 4 times this season, annual passes may be a way to go. Just to make things a little more complicated, you can also use an annual Discover Pass and just buy a day pass for the Sno-Park pass if you like hiking year-round but only plan on going sledding here once or twice. You can buy both ahead of time at REI and several other retailers.

	Single Day	Annual Pass	More info
Non-Motorized Sno-Park Permit with groomed sticker	$20	$80	https://fortress.wa.gov/parks/ecomm/prod/Store/SNO/SnoChoice.aspx
Discover Pass	$11	$33	http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov
Sno-Park/Discover Combo	$30	N/A	https://fortress.wa.gov/parks/ecomm/prod/Store/SNO/SnoChoice.aspx

Getting There:

Address: For GPS, try entering: 15 Keechelus Boat Launch Road, Snoqualmie Pass, WA 98068. This may not be recognized by all GPS systems, but it may get you close.

Link to map: http://binged.it/1xGDejC

Directions:

1. From Seattle/Duvall, take I-90 East and take Exit 54-Hyak.

2. At end of off-ramp, take a RIGHT.

3. In about 20 feet, take IMMEDIATE LEFT. Look for brown "KEECHELUS TRAILHEAD" sign under a green "Dept. Of Transportation HYAK MAINT. DIV" sign.

4. In about .4 miles, turn RIGHT onto Keechelus Boat Launch Road. Look for the brown KEECHELUS TRAILHEAD" sign.

5. Take the first RIGHT into the Hyak Sledding Hill parking lot.

Photos:

Main sledding hill at Hyak

One of the smaller sledding hills at Hyak

Parking pass machine in Hyak parking lot

#2 - The Summit Tubing Center

The Summit Tubing Center is a dedicated tubing slope with more structure than Hyak. Guests purchase tickets for 2 hour sessions and must use tubes provided. Prices for tickets range from $5 for children 5 and under and up to $25 per person for 13 year-olds and older, so this route can get pricey pretty quickly. Their website has all of the info so I'll link to it here: http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com/activities/tubing/rates-and-hours

Getting there: http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com/activities/tubing-faq