Corral Pass Snowshoe — Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

We decided to snowshoe up the Corral Pass Road on Feb. 24th, since the snow level was low and avalanche danger still high. I used this trip report found as a guide and went with a friend who knows the area. http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/snowshoe/17/Corral%20Pass%20Snowshoe We parked at the power sub station, there isn't any other parking options. There is room for one or two cars. The turn off (to the left) is about a 10 minute walk up the road. Once we were on the Corral Pass road, the snow was about 3-5 feet deep and had been compacted by a snowmobile. We hiked up the snowmobile tracks for two hours, then came back down, which took an hour. There were two view points that we walked out to, where we caught glimpses up through the mists, the views would be gorgeous on a clear day. There was a heavy snow load in the trees so there were constant tree-valanches and we were grateful to be on the road, not in the trees. We still got dumped on a few times with a couple clods hitting us on our heads, which made us wish we had hard hats on. This road is a moderately steep grade and is relentlessly uphill. It would be a more rewarding place to snowshoe when you can drive farther up the road and start closer to the treeline, as we never made it out of the trees. It was a good workout, so if you're just looking for some exercise, this works out.