Snoqualmie Pass

Snoqualmie Pass is a ski resort in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State

Get in
Snoqualmie Pass is on Interstate 90 with easy access to Spokane in the east and Seattle in the west.

Get around
Interstate 90 is the only road access to and through the pass, about 55 miles from both Seattle to the west and Ellensburg to the east. The traffic is usually not a problem once you pass the edges of Seattle's suburban sprawl outside Issaquah, except during major holiday weekends. Weather conditions can be a different story, particularly during the winter months when heavy fog, rain, and snow are all commonplace. During ski season, traffic is often delayed or temporarily stopped near the summit for avalanche control work. Weather conditions on either side of the pass can differ sharply; check the pass conditions before setting out. During particularly heavy snowstorms, the pass may close entirely for a day or two.

Summer driving is usually pleasant, with good conditions and sweeping forest views on the west side of the pass. The east side is undergoing road construction and widening through 2016, with routine hour-long closures in both directions on summer weekday evenings for rock blasting.

Mountains to Sound Greenway
The corridor of I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass is known as the Mountains To Sound Greenway, and offers many sightseeing and exploration opportunities, only a short distance from Seattle. You can print out and take along a PDF "Geo-Tour" of the MTSG.

Summit At Snoqualmie
With four alpine base areas summit ski slopes that vary from beginner to advanced. Nights skiing is also available


 * Summit Central Has a large terrain park and a halfpipe.
 * Summit East
 * Summit West
 * Alpental Offers everything from beginner to deadly (quite literally) terrain. The in-bounds area at Alpental contains a several-hundred foot tall cliff that's pretty great to ski off of, but check the landing for plenty of snow first, and do this only if you're an expert skier.  Pay attention to, and believe the double black diamond signs.  The Alpental backcountry is quite impressive and readily accessible; make sure to obtain a Backcountry Pass from the Ski Patrol (at their Shack atop Chair 2) before exploring.  Drive east on Interstate 90 from Seattle, approximately 1 hour.  The road is an active interstate highway, and is therefore plowed and sanded all winter long, but snow tires or chains may be required.

Hiking
There are numerous hiking opportunities around the Snoqualmie Pass area. This is not an area that much solitude will be found on the hike.
 * Snow Lake A good hike from July to early October. A moderately strenuous hike, trailhead can be reached parking at the Alpental ski resort parking lot (A Northwest Forest Pass may be necessary). Traverses through forest, reaches an Alpine Lake. Stay and relax, consider a swim. Continue along the trail, go to Gem Lake, and beyond.