We started at the snow peak trailhead.  The road was great except one deeply rutted spot at the beginning but easily passable in our Subaru.  The trail was clear of snow mostly in the beginning and a little more than half way we had to put on our snowshoes and leave them on the rest of the way to the cabin. By the time we got to the end the snow was a bit mushy which made it a little tougher than we would have liked and we did some postholing where there were downed trees under the snow even in our snowshoes, so be careful. In hindsight we would have like to get on the trail a little earlier and perhaps the snow would have been a bit more firm. It did make for a group of very sleepy physically exhausted hikers who had a fantastic nap in the cabin on our arrival. The next three nights were glorious, clear starry skies, sunny days, and good company. Having learned a lesson on our arrival we got up early on the day of our departure and the trek across the snow field leaving the cabin was a breeze or at least way easier than the hike in. The snow was crunchy, no more postholing!  More snow had melted and we were able to remove our snowshoes after about a mile or so and hike a mostly snow clear trail out. There were some more patches of snow, but we were able to walk without our snowshoes mostly on these patches. It was fantastic and our 3.5 year old made it out on her own 2 feet except for that first snow field where she rode on her dad's shoulders.  We had envisioned using our burley trailer with the ski attachments but it was a failed attempt and we left it on the trail and grabbed it back on our way out. For those of you who have had the pleasure of staying at Snow peak cabin as we have you will notice the wonderful new cook top that they have brought in and a new axe for cutting the wood. A big shout out to the Forest service for that!!  It's always great to go up there and not have to bring your stove but the previous burner was definitely in need of replacement.  

Had a failed expedition to the Snow Peak cabin this weekend after being unable to get up the Snow Peak Trail road and being unprepared (time and gear) for the Sherman Pass Trail. First off, the Snow Peak trail access road we thought opened April 1, and it did, however after a good start the road got nasty with intermittent snow and mud and we couldn’t make it up the road. So we went to Sherman Pass and could not find the trailhead for a long time. We eventually (amazingly) found it on the other side of the highway and east of the parking lot after seeing a “Trail Crossing” sign on the highway. Pretty pathetic sign (see picture) and no information on where it started at the Sherman Pass info hut. Anyways, we started up the trail and found ourselves falling 3 feet or so into the partially melted snow and realized we just weren’t going to be able to make before dark and decided to cancel. Extremely disappointing after a 6 hr drive to get here.

Had a failed expedition to the Snow Peak cabin this weekend after being unable to get up the Snow Peak Trail road and being unprepared (time and gear) for the Sherman Pass Trail. First off, the Snow Peak trail access road we thought opened April 1, and it did, however after a good start the road got nasty with intermittent snow and mud and we couldn’t make it up the road. So we went to Sherman Pass and could not find the trailhead for a long time. We eventually (amazingly) found it on the other side of the highway and east of the parking lot after seeing a “Trail Crossing” sign on the highway. Pretty pathetic sign (see picture) and no information on where it started at the Sherman Pass info hut. Anyways, we started up the trail and found ourselves falling 3 feet or so into the partially melted snow and realized we just weren’t going to be able to make before dark and decided to cancel. Extremely disappointing after a 6 hr drive to get here.

Myself and two friends parked at Sherman Pass to get to Snow Peak Cabin,  due to summer road still being covered. After crossing highway and finding the Sherman Loop trail we chose to stay on the west side of the loop due to Avalanche area on the east side of Sherman loop. After taking a right at the sign and continuing on trail we were able to make ok time until we reached the first of four snow fields to cross. The trail was very soft and narrow, it’s not easy but we all made it by going very slow in our heavy packs, only becoming stuck when punching through at a down log, tree or rock hidden under snow. In retrospect we should of been on trail at first light,  but due to check in and out times at cabin we chose 10am, not the best time of day for snow and it only got worse. We were out in the heat of day in super soft snow, took us 8 hours and two lunches but we made it finally! No available water so as soon as we arrived we set about melting snow. Had a great couple of days exploring and saw the Milky Way, all the stars lit up the night sky’s and our last night we were treated to the Northern Lights, I will never forget this trip! We snowshoed out 7am on Saturday and as I had feared, the unending sunshine created havoc on the trail, three times more challenging to cross those four narrow snow fields. The first part of trail that was good coming in was awful going out, snow had slid and covered  parts of trail and it was a hard walk as well! After another 8 hour day in the snow and sunshine we arrived back at car safely. If you go take care and be aware of the snow conditions, spring can be brutal in the mountains! 

The cabin was awesome. We took the summer route and the road was great that any vehicle could drive it. The snow we encountered was 1/2 way up the trail just a few inches no need for snowshoes or spikes. We wondered if there would be water in the spring near the cabin but it wasnt something we wanted to filter from and the horse spring was iced up. Luckily we hauled up 2 gallons. We  also melted snow for water for our dogs and to wash dishes. The wood firedplace was awesome keeping the cabin and us warm on a very cold night probably low teens. The weather was supposed to be sunny and clear which it was until we reached the cabin then full on fog, whiteout snow flurries on and off.