I volunteered at the Paradise visitor center today and thought I'd provide a general update on the snow and trail conditions. Although it has overall been a low snow year, the trails at Paradise are all entirely snow covered and will be for a while. Today, the snow was slick/frozen in the a.m. and slushy/slippery as it warmed up. Postholing seemed minimal on packed trails.
If you're looking for a marked trail, the Nisqually Vista trail and the trail from Narada Falls to Reflection Lake are marked with orange wands currently. They may be removing those wands in the coming weeks so check in at the visitor center if you want to confirm they're still in place. The "summer trails" at Paradise (Skyline, etc.) are unmarked and you should be prepared to navigate without trail markers. Also, the full Skyline loop isn't recommended this time of year due to steep slopes with dangerous runout and avalanche terrain.
I snowshoed the Paradise Valley Road down to the junction with the 4th Crossing trail. The trail was in great shape, packed hard with a nice smooth trail. Snowshoes were helpful for taction and to keep the trail smooth for others but weren't necessary.
Skiers reported triggering some small slides and I could see evidence of small wet slides below Mazama Ridge along with ski tracks. There were roller balls and pin wheels on some of the smaller slopes along the road. The junction with the 4th Crossing trail is currently marked with an orange pole. Be aware that past that pole you will be crossing though avalanche terrain if you continue to follow the road.
Overall, it was an incredible day with beautiful views. A few reminders:
- The gate closes at 5 p.m. currently every night so be sure to leave Paradise by 4:30 p.m.
- There is currently no sledding allowed anywhere in the park, including anywhere at Paradise.
- Please park in legal spots only. The upper lot was full within an hour today and people were getting ticketed for illegal parking. Have a backup plan on busy days like this weekend.
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