Coming to Washington question

[+rickdorsey8080]

I'll be visiting Washington state and Seattle in three weeks from the Dallas area and had a question: Are the APE cache and GCD accessible in April? Saw that APE had a couple of finds in March but had to be dug out of the snow. I don't know if the tunnel is open. I don't know if snow is covering the trails for both. Anyone with weather updates would be greatly appreciated. 

[+TheLimeCat]

The Ape cache is accessible for the adventurous. You will probably want traction spikes or even snowshoes (though I have hiked the Iron Horse trail in winter and have never needed them) and yes, you may have to do a bit of digging. The tunnel is closed, but the cache can be accessed from the west via the Annette Lake trailhead, though I'm not sure if that trailhead is plowed. In any case, you could probably take exit 47 and park along the road if it isn't. GCD is almost certainly inaccessible. I found it in June and used traction spikes. The cache was under about 2 feet of snow and had to be dug out. There are some die hard mountaineers around here that have been known to find caches in winter with snowshoes and a collapsible shovel, but I'm not one of them. In any case, you probably couldn't drive to the traditional GCD trailhead and would likely have to park on the road below and hike in. It would be a snowshoe job this time of year. I've been wanting to go up and do the new virtual there, which obviously wouldn't require any digging. Good luck! I think it could be a fun trip to the Ape cache right now.

 

You can view traffic cams and get reports on I-90 conditions here - https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/mountainpasses/snoqualmie

Edited April 3, 2023 by TheLimeCat

[+MNTA]

1 hour ago, rickdorsey8080 said:

I'll be visiting Washington state and Seattle in three weeks from the Dallas area and had a question: Are the APE cache and GCD accessible in April? Saw that APE had a couple of finds in March but had to be dug out of the snow. I don't know if the tunnel is open. I don't know if snow is covering the trails for both. Anyone with weather updates would be greatly appreciated. 

Sorry to say the tunnel will be closed but there is access from the other side. We just got some big snow accumulation this week down in Oregon of over two feet I'd assume WA is the same. So if you want to attempt in the snow be prepared. GCD should have snow as well. The tunnel is truly a great hike!

https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/mountainpasses/snoqualmie

 

https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/iron-horse-tunnel

The Snoqualmie Tunnel is part of the 250-mile Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail (formerly the John Wayne Trail and Iron Horse State Park) and this section is a must do for everyone! Views for most of your trip will be determined by the power of your headlamp, but there will be some sights on the other side. The attraction of this hike is the mysterious, dramatic tunnel itself. However, note that the tunnel is closed November 1st through May 1st, so plan your trip accordingly.

[+rickdorsey8080]

Thanks for the insight, and I will change my plans accordingly. It'll be 90 degrees in Texas this week in April, so it just floors me that some parts of the country are still digging out of snow.