I have had a Tonga Ridge snowshoe on my to-do list forever so with no trip report on the Foss River Road since November, I figured I would go check things out. I had considered Surprise Lake but with a considerable avalanche forecast, I opted for safety.
I think to snowshoe on Tonga Ridge, you either have to get up to the trailhead before too much snow hits the road or wait until spring when the road begins to thaw out. This time of year, for most people it is a snowshoe on the road towards the trailhead.
I had a leisurely morning so I did not leave home until about 7:30am. This meant joining the crowds headed to Stevens Pass but I brought my patience. After stopping for gas in Monroe, I was driving up US 2 towards the town of Skykomish.
Of course, I stopped for a small decaf at Sky River Coffee.
After turning off US 2 onto Foss River Road, I started the mileage tracker to see how far I would get. The road was mostly bare for the first mile past homes but as soon as I was passing under the trestle where the county stops plowing, the road had several inches of snow and healthy ruts. I was excited to see how the 4-wheel drive did but I knew my clearance was lacking so I was not surprised when the undercarriage scraped as I continued up. I was just a little nervous as I have gotten stuck here in my previous 2-wheel drive car.
It is about 3.5 miles from US 2 to the junction with FR 6830 or Tonga Ridge Road. Because it is an open area, the snow is deeper here and there was a maze of tracks. I decided this was a far as I felt comfortable driving so I turned around and drove back down about .2 miles to a pullout under a tree with more shallow snow. I knew as the day warmed up, the snow would get sloppy and there was no reason to get stuck unnecessarily. I had a shovel but no desire to use it.
After packing up, I walked back up the road and turned up on Tonga Ridge Road. It was in about the same condition as what I had just drove up but I knew it would continue to get deeper and to turn around could mean getting stuck.
I was treated to a waterfall shortly after hiking up the road, I love them when they are lined with snow. It was not cold enough for ice, though, which is even more elegant.
About a mile up and around the first switchback, the road was mostly snow and the ruts grew deeper and deeper. Look at the blue skies coming my way!
Another waterfall.
As I continued my way up the road, I was secretly hoping the tracks would stop and I would have an excuse to put my snowshoes on since they were strapped to my backpack. When I arrived at these downed trees at 2 miles (2.2 from the car), I was a little disappointed to see they were not enough to stop whoever had made the tracks.
As the low level clouds burned off, nearby summits began to peak through the trees.
A larger tree at 3.3 miles was definitely a vehicle stopper but it must have fallen after the latest set of ruts as they did, in fact, carry on.
Evidence of avalanche conditions were seen on the sides of the road: good-sized rollerballs.
Despite my hopes the tracks would stop before I did, I gave up at 4.4 miles and stopped for lunch. The trailhead is 7 miles from Foss River Road and a 14+ mile trip was never in my plan with such a late start. This spot had some open views so it would have to do.
I had grabbed a thermos to pack some tea and then remembered I had some leftover chicken vegetable soup so I subbed that in. Yum!
I put my snowshoes on at this point and headed back down the road around noon. I rotated between the wider ruts and the virgin snow on the sides. It was quite the workout!
After a few miles I took them back off again as the ruts increased and the snow became more shallow. Around the point of the first downed trees at 2 miles in, there were the only people I would see on the “trail” today, a group of folks in a Jeep who had turned around and got out to play. Not sure where they were going to use the sled but I hope they had fun.
In the last mile before the junction, there was evidence that at least one vehicle had tried to drive up and then opted to turn around when the snow got deeper. By now, everything was slushy and slick.
Back on Foss River Road, it was just a quick jaunt along the river to my car. Not bad for a 9 mile hike/snowshoe! In preparation for possible slowdowns on the way home, I made sure to “use the facilities” before getting back in the car. I did pass a caravan of monster trucks as I drove back down the forest road, at least one did look like the kind that could make it over a reasonable size tree.
And then it was westbound on US 2. It was actually better than I had anticipated with most of the traffic starting in Gold Bar. I have definitely been stuck in worse!
Door-to-door, it was about an 8 hour day. Because Tonga Ridge Road was not gated, I think that it might be a better winter option for skis than snowshoes unless you want to break trail on the sides the whole time. I don’t think I would have made it near as far up without the compact snow of the tire tracks, so I guess there are pros and cons to off road vehicles having access. Even snowmobiles would be better as the tracks would be wider to accommodate snowshoes. No complaints, though. I got out and that is all that matters!
You can learn more about hikes on this road, as well as directions, here:
West Fork Foss River to Big Heart Lake
The Mount Baker Snoqualmie Forest Service considers Foss River Road (FR 68) a winter recreation area, you can learn more here.
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What a beautiful hike! And what a workout. I was thinking that it looked good for cross country skiing.
It was and that is why some of my favorite places to snowshoe are just forest service roads that are covered with snow. I did see at least one set of what looked like ski tracks and although I am not a skier, I imagine the compact tire tracks might be similar to a groomed Nordic trail even if you have weave a little to stay in one.