The ski tours on Highway 20 are some of the biggest mountains in all the the Cascade Range. This is a breakdown of 27 separate trips in the North Cascades from Mount Baker via the south side to the Methow valley. Highway 20 is the entrance to and is surrounded by North Cascades National Park. With the road being snow covered during the winter this is the place to go once it is plowed in mid April. These mountains are some of the more scenic and isolated mountains in all of the Cascades.
The main type of riding on the Highway 20 corridor is mountaineering based as there isn’t much tree skiing. The terrain is steep and dangerous but it is a highly rewarding place to be and learn. On the page below the trips are put up starting from the west and heading to the east finally finishing in the Methow valley. Most tours can start directly off the road while other trips require long and brutal slogs. If you carefully select your trip you can find ski tours on Highway 20 for people of every ability level.
Ski Tours Accessed From Baker Lake
Baker Lake gives you access to two of the biggest mountains in all of the Cascades. To the west you have numerous routes up Mount Baker and to the East you have the south face of Mount Shuksan. This is mainly a spring skiing area as snowmobiles dominate Mount Baker but once the initial road melts out there are none to be seen. Mount Baker can be skied all year round from this route as well as Shuksan but that is mainly a climbing/hiking route once the snow melts out.
Highway 20 Ski Tours off Cascade Pass
In the 1920’s there was an attempt to build a road that went over the North Cascades. It was cut a few miles towards the pass as the terrain became to steep. The Cascade Pass area offers some of the more burly lines you can find in all of the Cascades. Some years you can drive almost to the Cascade Pass road but watch out for fallen trees. This area is famous for being a mess after a wind storm as maintenance is few and far between. It’s not unusual to be able to drive to the Eldorado trailhead but the area doesn’t see many visitors during the winter. Most ski tours are done here during the spring.
Highway 20 Ski Tours up to Rainy Pass
This is the area where legends of made of. To the North you have places like the Pickets Range and to the South you have peaks like Goode Mountain. This area is highly rewarding but almost every peak is isolated and usually is a camping mission. You can also find some great tours right off the road but it is not plowed past Diablo lake until mid April. Once the roads are opened the crowds swarm to the area for a good reason.
The Rainy Pass Area
From Washington Pass to the Methow Valley
This area has numerous great ski traverses and mountains. It is the crux of on the road scenery as you pass the Early Winter Spires. From here on you are on the Eastern side of the Cascades and a much colder climate. During the winter a lot of people use sleds to access the terrain from the East side. The road is plowed out a few miles before the Silverstar trailhead. But once it opens for Spring the area still has snow for months.
In Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to check out this page. Hopefully it gave you some inspiration for some new ski tours on Highway 20 and Cascade Pass. I’ve been very fortunate to have spend years sharpening my mountaineering skills out here. It was always been wild adventures in this zone and pushing my physical limits. While there are many long and physically demanding tours out here there are also easy and scenic trips.