Groomed trail
No
Elevation Gain
356.00 ft (108.51 m)
Distance
7.00 mi (11.27 km)
Warming hut
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

If you are in the White Pass area but wishing Leech Lake had some bigger views, head over to Forest Road 1284, also known as White Road. Less than a mile west of the pass, White Road is definitely a road; it's wide and fairly flat, and it starts inauspiciously near a collection of DOT maintenance sheds. But within 2 miles the trail turns west to give increasingly impressive shots up the Clear Fork of the Cowlitz River and into Goat Rocks Wilderness. On clear days, these culminate in an end-of-the-road view of Mount Rainier.

To follow White Road, start up NF-1284. Look for signs to Sand Lake No. 60, a steep, narrow trail that links up with the Pacific Crest Trail at Sand Lake. Follow the main road, avoiding minor turnoffs as the trail climbs gradually through the wet White Pass forest and hairpins left under Cortright Point. From there it's a fairly straight shot, with the road petering out shortly after the trail takes another turn to the north. If you are in the area on a clear day, the views should be stunning.

Although the trail is quite low-risk, watch for undercut trees above the trail once you start heading west. The slope is eroded in sections, and skiers should watch for downed trees.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter

Congestion

Low

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Easily accessible. Views.

Cons

Uniform terrain.

Pets allowed

Allowed

Trailhead Elevation

4,349.00 ft (1,325.58 m)

Features

Snowshoeing
Big vistas

Trail type

There-and-back

Location

Nearby Adventures

Mt. Adams/Indian Heaven Wilderness/Goat Rocks, Washington
Mt. Adams/Indian Heaven Wilderness/Goat Rocks, Washington

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Comments

03/30/2019
Intended to snowshoe this today, but wore microspikes instead. We saw several cougar tracks at various points crossing the road and the cleared area was a veritable playground with prints big and small. We sat to enjoy the view and eat some lunch but got kind of creeped out by rustling sounds we heard in the Forest uphill. Mt. Ranier was partially obscured by clouds, but other than that the views were stunning. Total milage for us was 6 miles round trip—we went to the road’s end but no further although it looked like someone with snowshoes had continued up. Again we were creeped out by the kitty prints!
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