Snoquera Falls Loop — Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

Snoquera Falls is a favorite winter destination of mine so a friend and I decided to snowshoe up the trail with his dog. We ended up carrying our snowshoes the whole way since there was barely a few inches at the top. The weather was cool but above freezing when we started but grew colder as the day progressed. Rounding the last bend before Snoquera Creek (3210 ft elevation), we found that the last several hundred feet of trail have been obliterated by a major rock avalanche that appears to have originated far up on the cliffs just south of the falls. Most of the trees in this area have been wiped out and the few large, old trees that are still standing near the cliff have been almost completely stripped of limbs. The talus that now covers the trail and surrounding area is very unstable and, in combination with a thin layer of snow was difficult to traverse. This, combined with the possibility of more unstable rock above, convinced us to turn around and explore the lower trails instead. This area of severe trail damage will require some serious work parties to repair. I suspect this event occurred during the previous week or two and may have been triggered by the heavy rain. It's sad to see a favorite trail in this condition but undoubtedly there will be plenty of opportunities to help repair it in work parties this summer.