Originally Posted: February 2023
Updated: March 2026
Tronsen Gap Ski Loop: Tronsen Creek to Swauk Creek
Tronsen Basin
Windy Hollow
Tronsen Gap
Tronsen Head (5980 ft)
Diamond Gap
Naneum Pass
Swauk Basin
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)
Loop Way Points: Road 9716 crossing & Trail XC-15 junction & West Fork Tronsen (Diamond) Creek crossing & Windy Hollow & Windy Junction & Windy Gap & Tronsen Hill shoulder & Tronsen Gap & Road 9712 junction & Diamond Gap & Naneum Pass & Road 9716 junction & Swauk Creek crossing & Blewett Pass Sno-Park (ski tour via Trail XC-141—Trail XC-15—Road 9712—Road 9716)
Loop High Point: North shoulder of Tronsen Hill (Elev. 5870 feet)
Optional Summit Sidetrip: Tronsen Head (ski tour via Southwest Ridge)
Approximate Stats (excluding sidetrip): 10.8 miles traveled; 2100 feet gained & lost.
Approximate Stats (including sidetrip): 11.4 miles traveled; 2300 feet gained & lost.
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 forest road that is usually well-groomed for snowmobile traffic. There is also a great opportunity for a short sidetrip to the summit of Tronsen Head 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.
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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 throughout the winter, 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, which is located on the south side of Highway 97 (the right side of the highway when traveling away from Cle Elum or Ellensburg). 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.
Full Route Descriptions
Detailed route descriptions for the full Tronsen Gap Ski Loop and the Tronsen Head summit sidetrip are presented in the following sections.
Tronsen Gap Ski Loop
The starting point for this ski tour is at the southern (upper) end of the main Blewett Pass Sno-Park parking lot, near the portable outhouses. From here, Road 9716 goes straight ahead for a short distance and then curves left. You will finish your loop on this “snowmobile highway,” but for now you need to head due west on Swauk Meadow Trail XC-141. This trail begins on an inconspicuous spur road that diverges perpendicularly to the right from Road 9716.
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The trail quickly changes from spur road to single track and makes a few switchbacks uphill, then traverses southeastward for ½ mile. Ski past a silvicultural kiosk shortly before crossing over 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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Follow the trail over one small rib before arriving at a key junction on a second rib. Here, Swauk Meadow Trail XC-141 turns right and heads back toward Road 9716. Proceed straight ahead on Haney Meadow Trail XC-15.
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Follow Haney Meadow Trail XC-15 on an undulating route through charred forest and over a series of small ribs. Along the way, the trail surmounts a little promontory that gives a nice view of Tronsen Head and Windy Knob. A bit beyond this promontory, pass another junction with a connector trail leading downhill to Tronsen Meadow.
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Haney Meadow Trail XC-15 gradually works over to “Diamond Creek,” a western branch of Tronsen Creek that emanates from Diamond Gap. For the next ¾ mile, the trail ascends southward at a gentle gradient alongside this creek channel. 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 grand, weather-beaten larch tree decorated with various vintages of trail signs. This tree marks Windy Junction (2.8 miles + 1500 feet from starting point). From here a side trail branches off to the southwest and ducks through Diamond Gap. On several occasions over the past 25 years, I’ve encountered a howling gale in Windy Hollow and elected to bail out to Road 9712 via Diamond Gap.
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Continuing straight ahead to the top of Windy Hollow, you will reach Windy Gap (3.0 miles + 1750 feet from starting point). This appropriately named feature is typically wind-scoured and inhospitable, so you might not want to linger here.
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At Windy Gap, look closely for several arrows that 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 over the shoulder of Tronsen Hill, where it attains the highest elevation (5870 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 (3.4 miles + 1950 feet from starting point).
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Tronsen Gap is a broad, flat-bottomed saddle between Tronsen Head and Tronsen Hill. To continue your ski loop, depart from the trail here and proceed due south, descending slightly through sparse forest. Like much of the region, this forest was severely burned during the 2012 Table Mountain Fire, but you will likely see thousands of baby lodgepole pine trees poking up through the snow. Lodgepole pines reproduce only after a forest fire, so you are witnessing their natural cycle of life.
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Traverse through the charred forest for ½ mile, losing 300 vertical feet, until intersecting Road 9712. Turn right and follow this usually well-groomed snowmobile road as it contours around Tronsen Hill and makes a hairpin turn at Diamond Gap, then climbs up to Naneum Pass (5.6 miles + 2100 feet from starting point).
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From Naneum Pass, the road drops 1700 vertical feet to Blewett Pass, beginning with a fairly steep descent. On a clear day, you will be presented with a dramatic view of the Stuart Range rising behind the Teanaway Mountains.
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For the remainder of your decent, the only notable waypoint will be a junction with Road 9716, which makes a sharp right-hand 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 junction, Road 9716 flattens out considerably and requires more kick-and-glide skiing. Keep cruising along for another 3 miles to complete your loop at Blewett Pass Sno-Park (10.8 + 2100 feet from starting point).
Tronsen Head Sidetrip
If you’ve reached Tronsen Gap with a little time and energy to spare, I recommend taking a sidetrip up nearby Tronsen Head. This is a great viewpoint overlooking Blewett Pass and the Stuart Range. From Tronsen Gap, follow Haney Meadow Trail XC-15 as it climbs northeastward onto a rounded ridge that leads easily to the broad, barren, 5980-foot summit (0.3 miles + 200 feet from Tronsen Gap).
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Equipment Comments
The Tronsen Gap Ski Loop is ideally suited to medium-width backcountry nordic touring skis that have a fish-scale base, full metal edges, and sturdy nordic bindings (75-mm, NNN-BC, or Xplore), 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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