Home > Trip Reports > January 14, 2018, Mt Baker, Coleman Deming

January 14, 2018, Mt Baker, Coleman Deming

1/14/18
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
3830
9
Posted by Hubert on 1/15/18 11:22am
Road is closed 1 mile from the trailhead (sno park permit needed); continuous skinning from the car on Saturday, but the lower parts of the trail were already melting out on Sunday pm.
We camped at the flat spot below Colfax and went up via Roman Wall on Sunday.
The few snow bridges we had to pass felt pretty solid, the bergschrund is nicely filled in.

Skiing on the roman wall (at around 1:30pm) felt like sliding on a thousand small icicles on top of a crust; not great, but not terrible either. From there down to Hogsback, compact surface but good skiing. Below Hogsback down into the trees, skiing turned into type 2 fun - heavy wet snow and avalanche debris.

but it was beautiful.
Great pics! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the informative first post

author=Hubert link=topic=39506.msg159172#msg159172 date=1516072966]
Road is closed 1 mile from the trailhead (sno park permit needed);


I wanted to emphasize this bit, it's tempting to drive past the snow berm that indicates where the groomed trail starts but don't.  It's also mandatory to have a snopark permit even if you don't have a sled.  They have stepped up enforcement a lot this year.  I was up there on Sunday and saw that a group from Canada had been ticketed for not having a pass.

author=mikerolfs link=topic=39506.msg159173#msg159173 date=1516074817]
but it was beautiful.

Oh yes, it was :) Wonderful alpenglow on Saturday evening, and sunshine on Sunday.

author=Jason4 link=topic=39506.msg159218#msg159218 date=1516214083]
I wanted to emphasize this bit, it's tempting to drive past the snow berm that indicates where the groomed trail starts but don't. It's also mandatory to have a snopark permit even if you don't have a sled. They have stepped up enforcement a lot this year. I was up there on Sunday and saw that a group from Canada had been ticketed for not having a pass.


Indeed, we met a ranger up there who was checking. We didn't know it was a Snopark and didn't have a pass, and had to drive back down to the visitor center in Glacier to buy one.

Excellent TR thanks! A winter summit of Baker with bluebird is a thing to behold. About that snopark issue, are you good if you have a National Park pass/Forest Pass? Or do you need a specific snopark pass in the winter no matter what?

Snopark is the only thing that covers snopark parking.
I've paid the price at Red Mountain on Salmon La Sac road....

author=ShailCaesar! link=topic=39506.msg159238#msg159238 date=1516297405]
Excellent TR thanks! A winter summit of Baker with bluebird is a thing to behold. About that snopark issue, are you good if you have a National Park pass/Forest Pass? Or do you need a specific snopark pass in the winter no matter what?



A forest pass doesn't count for a snopark.  

From my understanding you can get either a motorized or non-motorized snopark pass and both work in both type of snoparks but your choice of which to get directs your funds towards different grooming budgets.  Glacier Creek, Canyon Creek, and Schreiber's Meadows are groomed out of the motorized budget, the cross country ski area is groomed from the non-motorized budget.

Was the road actually posted that you need a snopark permit? I went up there some time in December and also parked at the berm a mile or two from the trailhead (pretty crazy it's still there, or maybe even moved higher), grooming had started and it said no wheeled vehicles, but there were zero signs anywhere saying I needed a snopark permit to park. FS website said I'd need one, but with no signs it seems unenforceable.

author=christensent link=topic=39506.msg159332#msg159332 date=1516505577]
Was the road actually posted that you need a snopark permit? I went up there some time in December and also parked at the berm a mile or two from the trailhead (pretty crazy it's still there, or maybe even moved higher), grooming had started and it said no wheeled vehicles, but there were zero signs anywhere saying I needed a snopark permit to park. FS website said I'd need one, but with no signs it seems unenforceable.


I think the sign is about a half mile up from the highway where the road bends left after the long straight. If that's where it is then it is pretty easy to miss but it is signed.

Reply to this TR

14027
january-14-2018-mt-baker-coleman-deming
Hubert
2018-01-15 19:22:46