Originally Posted: February 2023
Updated: February 2024
Tronsen Gap Ski Loop: Blewett Pass to Windy Hollow to Naneum Pass to Blewett Pass
Swauk Meadow
Windy Gap
Tronsen Gap
Diamond Gap
Naneum Pass
Route Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Lower Wenatchee Mountains
Area: Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest
Starting & Ending Point: Blewett Pass Sno-Park on Highway 97 (Elev. 4100 feet)
Way Points: Swauk Meadow & West Fork Tronsen (Diamond) Creek & Windy Hollow & Windy Junction & Windy Gap & Tronsen Gap & Road 9712 junction & Diamond Gap & Naneum Pass & Road 9716 junction & Swauk Meadow (ski tour)
High Point: Tronsen Hill shoulder (Elev. 5860 feet)
Approximate Stats: 11.0 miles traveled; 2100 feet gained & lost; 6.7 hours elapsed.
Related Posts
>>> Tronsen Head Ski Loop: Windy Hollow to Haney Gap – February 27, 2022
>>> Tronsen Head Ski Loop: Windy Hollow to Haney Gap – February 8, 2020
>>> Tronsen Head Ski Loop: Windy Hollow to Haney Gap – March 3, 2018
>>> Tronsen Head Ski Loop: Windy Hollow to Haney Gap – January 21, 2007
>>> Tronsen Head Ski Loop: Windy Hollow to Haney Gap – January 20, 2001
>>> A Brief History of the Hog Loppet Ski Traverse
Route Overview
The Tronsen Gap Ski Loop is an interesting 11-mile backcountry tour through varied terrain in the Lower Wenatchee Mountains near Blewett Pass. The first 4 miles of the loop ascends a narrow trail that is ungroomed but well-marked with a collection of wooden signs, metal arrows, aluminum disks, and blue diamonds. The last 7 miles of the loop descends a wide, well-groomed snowmobile road. There are also opportunities for some short sidetrips along the way.
One noteworthy historical aspect of the tour is that it follows the original Jelstrup-Lilleby Trail all the way from Blewett Pass to Tronsen Gap. This marvelous ski trail was created back in the 1960s or 1970s to provide skiers and snowshoers with a high-quality wintertime route to Haney Meadow in the Tronsen Basin backcountry. The lower and upper parts of the Jelstrup-Lilleby Trail are now formally identified as Swauk Meadow Trail XC-141 and Haney Meadow Trail XC-15, respectively, both of which are components of the extensive Tronsen Basin ski trail network.
Another historical aspect of the Tronsen Gap Ski Loop is that it shares the final 7 miles of road with the former Hog Loppet ski traverse. This legendary 20-mile snow trek from Mission Ridge to Blewett Pass was held on a nearly annual basis for 25 years until ending abruptly and unceremoniously in 2014. Considering the Hog Loppet’s long and highly celebrated past, veteran “hogsters” might now find these last 7 miles of the loop to be somewhat nostalgic.
Because nearly all downhill parts of the Tronsen Gap Ski Loop involve groomed roads, the tour is suitable for a wide range of skiing abilities. Advanced skiers looking for a more challenging tour could consider doing the Tronsen Head Ski Loop, which follows the same uphill route but a more difficult downhill route. It should also be mentioned that snowshoers would likely enjoy an out-and-back trek up to Tronsen Gap; however, I can’t recommend doing the total loop described herein, as the 7 miles of road travel would be very tedious on snowshoes.
Although most of the Blewett Pass vicinity is dominated by snowmobile traffic, the trail portion of the Tronsen Gap Ski Loop lies within the Tronsen Winter Non-Motorized Area. This area encompasses the entire Tronsen Creek watershed and is officially closed to snowmobiles. As such, you probably won’t encounter a machine until heading back down the groomed road, and if you complete the loop on a weekday, you might not see any machines at all.
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Parking Comments
Parking can be found at Blewett Pass Sno-Park, located on the south side of Highway 97 (the right side of the highway for northbound travelers). A Washington State Sno-Park permit is required here, but you don’t need a “special groomed-area sticker.” Be aware that this parking lot fills up quickly on weekends and holidays, so it is advisable to arrive early (before 9:00am) or later (after 2:00pm) during high season. There is also an overflow parking lot directly across the highway. The starting point for the ski tour is at the upper end of the main parking lot, near the portable outhouses.
Full Route Description
Eileen and Yoko and I left Blewett Pass Sno-Park on a sunny Friday morning and headed out on Swauk Meadow Trail XC-141. This trail begins on a road spur that diverges perpendicularly to the right from Road 9716—a veritable “snowmobile highway.” The spur road quickly changes to single-track as it makes a few switchbacks uphill, then traverses southeastward for ½ mile. We skinned past a silvicultural kiosk shortly before crossing Road 9716. Directly across the road are several signs and markers indicating that the trail continues on a southeasterly bearing into the forest.
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We crossed over one small rib before arriving at a junction on a second rib. Here, Swauk Meadow Trail XC-141 turns right and heads back toward Road 9716, whereas Haney Meadow Trail XC-15 proceeds straight ahead.
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We now began following the Haney Meadow Trail on an undulating route through charred forest and over a series of small ribs. Along the way, the trail crosses a little promontory that gives a nice view of Tronsen Head and Windy Knob. A bit beyond this promontory, we passed a junction with a connector trail leading downhill to Tronsen Meadow.
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The Haney Meadow Trail gradually works over to “Diamond Creek,” a branch of Tronsen Creek that emanates from Diamond Gap. For the next ¾ mile, the trail ascends southward alongside this channel at a gentle gradient. The summit of Diamond Head stands high above to the right.
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Eventually, the trail crosses Diamond Creek and traverses over to Windy Hollow—a scenically barren gulch dotted with ruddy basalt boulders and ancient larch trees. Frigid winds blow through here on a regular basis, scouring the snow and leaving a hard crust. The prevailing weather is so harsh, Central Washington University has established a small research station in the hollow.
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About halfway up the hollow is a weather-beaten larch tree decorated with various vintages of trail signs. This tree marks “Windy Junction,” where a side trail branches off to the southwest and cuts through Diamond Gap. On several occasions over the past 20 years, I’ve encountered a howling gale in Windy Hollow and chose to bail out to Road 9712 via Diamond Gap.
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Continuing straight ahead, Yoko, Eileen, and I reached Windy Gap at the top of the hollow. Several arrows here indicate a sharp turn back to the right, as the trail makes a gently rising traverse across a burned hillslope. Careful navigation is needed to stay on route through the fallen timber. Keep a sharp eye out for shiny disks and blue diamonds marking the trail corridor.
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After traversing southwesterly for 150 yards, the trail switches back to the left and curls around Tronsen Hill, where it attains the highest elevation (5860 feet) of the entire loop. Tronsen Head can be seen closely to the northeast from this high point. The trail now veers into dense forest and angles down to a signed junction with two hiker/horse trails, then makes a short descent into Tronsen Gap.
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Tronsen Gap is a broad, flat-bottomed saddle between Tronsen Head and Tronsen Hill. The Haney Meadow Trail climbs northeastward out of this gap and crosses over Tronsen Head—a great viewpoint that requires a 30-minute sidetrip. However, our loop route departed from the trail and proceeded due south through the gap. Like much of the region, the forest here was severely burned during the 2012 Table Mountain Fire, but we were pleased to see thousands of baby lodgepole pine trees poking up through the snow.
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We traversed through the charred forest for ½ mile, losing 300 vertical feet, until abruptly coming to Road 9712. Turning right, we followed this well-groomed road over to Diamond Gap and up to Naneum Pass, which represents the distance midpoint of the entire loop.
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From Naneum Pass, the road drops 1700 vertical feet to Blewett Pass, beginning with a fairly steep descent. We donned some warm clothes and shoved off. Very quickly, though, we screeched to a halt when presented with a dramatic view of the Stuart Range rising behind the Teanaway Mountains. Wow!
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For the remainder of our decent, the only notable waypoint was a junction with Road 9716, which forms a hairpin turn off Road 9712. Anyone who previously completed the Hog Loppet ski traverse will likely recall this key junction; if you missed the turn, you would end up miles from the finish line!
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Shortly past the hairpin turn, Road 9716 flattens out considerably and requires more kick-and-glide skiing. We cruised along for another 3 miles to complete our loop at Blewett Pass Sno-Park in late afternoon (6.7 hours from start).
Equipment Comments
The Tronsen Gap Loop is ideally suited to medium-width backcountry nordic touring skis that have a fishscale base, full metal edges, and sturdy 75-mm bindings or NNN-BC bindings, combined with compatible touring boots. Randonnee (alpine touring, or AT) skis, bindings, and boots can also be used, although such equipment will feel cumbersome on the flatter portions of the roads. In either case, full-length climbing skins are recommended for the ascent to Tronsen Gap. Additionally, adjustable poles are very handy because they can be shortened for the ascent and can be lengthened for the kick-and-glide descent.
For more information regarding the various equipment that I use for this particular trip and that I typically use for other trips of this type, see my gear reviews on the following pages:
>>> Backcountry Nordic Ski Touring Gear
>>> Backcountry Ski & Snowshoe Packs
>>> Wintertime Comfort Accessories
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Route Maps & Profile
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Photo Gallery
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