Trip Date: January 20, 2023
Tinkham Pass Ski Tour
Roaring Creek Valley
Lost Lake
Mirror Lake
Tinkham Pass
Cottonwood Lake
Trip Report Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Iron Horse Mountains
Area: Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest
Starting & Ending Point: Crystal Springs Sno-Park on Road #54 off Interstate-90 at Exit 62 (Elev. 2400 feet)
Way Points: Palouse To Cascades Trail junction & Keechelus Dam Junction & Lost Lake Junction & Lost Lake & Mirror Lake Spur Road junction & Cottonwood Creek crossing & Mirror Lake & Mirror Lake Saddle & Tinkham Pass (ski tour); return via Cottonwood Lake & Mirror Lake Trailhead (ski tour)
Approximate Stats: 16.8 miles traveled; 2100 feet gained & lost; 5.6 hours up; 3.7 hours down.
Related Post
>>> Tinkham Pass Ski Tour via Cold Creek Valley—Windy Pass (detailed route description)
Route Overview
Tinkham Pass is a 4500-foot saddle located in the Iron Horse Mountains south of Snoqualmie Pass and west of Keechelus Lake. Summertime hikers know it as the place where the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) crosses over the northeastern ridge of Tinkham Peak. As a backcountry ski-touring destination, it has historically been known by only a relatively small number of exploratory skiers. That number has increased in recent years, however, because the now-annual Patrol Race from Snoqualmie Pass to Meany Lodge takes skiers over Tinkham Pass.
The best skiing route to Tinkham Pass starts at Hyak and ascends Cold Creek Road to Windy Pass, then finishes with a backcountry traverse below the north face of Tinkham Peak. The one-way distance for that route is approximately 7½ miles, with about 2200 feet of elevation gain. The alternative route described herein starts at Crystal Springs Sno-Park and approaches Tinkham Pass via Lost Lake Road. This route has similar statistics—the one-way distance is approximately 8½ miles, with about 2050 feet of elevation gain—but most of the way is frequented by snowmobilers. To minimize your chances of encountering snowmobile traffic and, therefore, to enhance your backcountry experience, I strongly recommend doing this alternative ski tour on a weekday.
The ski tour described below is a “hybrid tour” in the sense that it involves two distinctly different types of terrain. The first 6½-mile segment, from Crystal Springs to Lost Lake, follows roads that are typically well-groomed for cross-country skiing or snowmobiling. The last 2-mile segment, from Lost Lake to Tinkham Pass, ascends backcountry forest with some steep, open slopes. The frequent snowmobile traffic on these steep slopes actually improves the overall stability, but good mountain skills and avalanche awareness are required nonetheless.
Full Trip Report
Yoko and Todd joined me for a ski tour to Tinkham Pass on a cold, clear Friday. From Crystal Springs Sno-Park, we skied out Road #54 to the Palouse To Cascades Trail, then followed that over to Keechelus Dam Junction. There, we turned left on Lost Lake Road #5480 and headed up Roaring Creek Valley. The freshly groomed road easily took us to Lost Lake Junction near the eastern tip of Lost Lake (2.1 hours + 4.7 miles + 600 feet from sno-park).
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We veered right at the junction and continued kicking-and-gliding along the northern shore of Lost Lake. Tinkham Peak and Tinkham Pass were visible beyond the head of the snow-covered lake.
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At a point just beyond the western end of Lost Lake, we came to an inconspicuous fork in the road. The right branch, which was well-groomed, leads to the Mirror Lake Trailhead and provides a good route to Tinkham Pass via Cottonwood Lake. The left branch, which was ungroomed, leads to the PCT below Mirror Lake and provides an alternative route to Tinkham Pass. We made a quick decision to create a loop trek by taking the left branch up and taking the right branch back down.
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Having diverged from the groomed road, we attached climbing skins and began breaking trail through deep, untracked snow. Our backcountry route took us across Cottonwood Creek and over to Mirror Creek.
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Upon encountering Mirror Creek, we left the spur road and began skinning steeply uphill on an open slope. Thankfully, snow stability was very good, so we didn’t have any sliding or sloughing today. Our steep climb ended at the outlet of Mirror Lake.
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We skied across Mirror Lake in a northwesterly direction, aiming for a forested saddle at the far end. The marvelously rugged, snow-plastered summit of Tinkham Peak was visible through a light fog above the lake.
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At the forested saddle, we angled leftward and continued following the general route of the PCT. A steep, switchbacking ascent delivered us to Tinkham Pass in early afternoon (5.6 hours + 8.4 miles + 2050 feet from sno-park). Views from the pass are limited due to tall trees, but you can get a splendid look at nearby Silver Peak by traversing a short distance over to the west.
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For our descent, we retraced our up-track back to the forested saddle near Mirror Lake, then veered leftward and skied down open forest slopes to Cottonwood Lake. From the lake outlet, we angled down dense forest until reaching the Mirror Lake Trailhead at Road #5480. A ½-mile ski down the road took us to the previously described fork, thereby closing our small loop.
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Now that we were back on the groomed Lost Lake Road, there was no more trail-breaking or route-finding to be done. Good thing, because darkness caught us even before we reached Lost Lake Junction in late afternoon (2.3 hours from pass). We finished our descent by headlamp and arrived at Crystal Springs Sno-Park in early evening (3.7 hours from pass).
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Route Maps & Profile
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