Hart's Pass & Winthrop - August 11 th

[Jerry]

The following is a Tour Announcement posted by Gary from Olympia for an upcoming Backroad Drivers event in the Winthrop, Washington area.
Jerry
Backroad Drivers Northwest
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/BackroadDrivers/



Hart's Pass & Winthrop, Washington
August 11, 2007

Join us for a drive to the highest point one can take
by automobile in the state of Washington. Hart's Pass
is one of the most scenic spots in the Methow Valley.
The drive to the 6200 ft vantage point allows panoramic
views of the North Cascades and the Methow Valley.
Vehicles can drive to within 1 1/2 miles of Slate Peak.
Hikers can hoof it to the 7400 foot lookout on top of
Slate Peak. A lookout tower sits atop Slate Peak at the
end of Harts Pass road and will provide visitors with
unparalleled views of the North Cascades, including Mt.
Baker to the West. Eighteen miles North is Canada which
can be seen through the snow capped peaks of the Pasayten
Wilderness.

At the time of this writing the Forest Service is working
to clear a slide at Dead Horse Point that blocks the road
to the top of Hart's Pass. Dead Horse Point has earned
its name and reputation as the most intimidating and
unnerving point on the passage to Hart's Pass. According
to local legend Dead Horse Point was named when horses in
a pack string panicked and ran down the narrow trail.
More trail-wise mules tried to stop, but the horses proved
stronger and pulled the whole string over the edge to its
death. To quote the Forest Service, the road should be
open "this summer sometime". If the road is not cleared at
the time of this trip we will take advantage of many other
backroads in the area. We can explore Rendezvous Road
which connects to Goat Creek Rd. and comes out at Mazama,
as well as the drive up the Chewuch river to Thirty Mile
Creek, and view the memorial built for the firefighters
that lost their lives a few years ago.

If you enjoy spectacular mountain views, with the
possibility of spotting wildlife such as deer, elk, sheep,
bald eagles and many other species of birds and mammals,
you should join us for a day of exploration in this
historic gold mining area. (We may have time to explore
some abandoned gold mining towns.) The roads are rock-
surfaced and passable by passenger cars. However be
prepared for steep grades and a narrow roadway with no
turnouts. Bring drinking water and snacks, we can plan on
a late lunch at Three Fingered Jacks in Winthrop or possibly
having lunch in Mazama depending on time and what roads are
open.

We will meet at Vittles Restaurant in the Virginian Resort
on Hwy 20 about a mile South of downtown Winthrop, WA. Plan
on leaving the restaurant promptly at 9:00 AM, come early
for breakfast. I will be in a Silver Jeep Grand Cherokee
and will monitor channel 22 on the CB radio.

Places to stay:

Mt. Gardner Inn
611 Hwy 20
Winthrop, WA 98862
Phone: 509-996-2000

Sun Mountain Lodge
604 Patterson Lake Road
P.O. Box 1000
Winthrop, WA 98862
Phone: 509-996-2211
Toll-free: 1-800-572-0493
Fax: 509-996-3133

Chewuch Inn & Cabins
223 White Avenue
Winthrop WA 98862
Phone: 509-996-3107
Toll-free: 1-800-747-3107

Hotel Rio Vista.
285 Riverside
P.O. Box 815
Winthrop, WA 98862
Phone: 509-996-3535
Toll-free: 800-398-0911

The Virginian Resort
Highway 20
P.O. Box 237
Winthrop, WA 98862
Phone: 509-996-2535
Toll-free: 800-854-2834

America's Best Value-Cascade Inn
960 Highway 20
Winthrop, WA 98862
Phone: 509-996-3100
Toll-free: 1-800-468-6754
Fax: 509-996-3317

Camping facilities are available at Lake Pearrygin State
Park about 3 1/2 miles from downtown Winthrop. This is
a beautiful, well maintained park with boating and
swimming facilities as well as 3 minute showers for 50
cents.

There is also, a KOA campground on Hwy 20 just South of
the Virginian Resort.

See you in Winthrop,
Gary

[Jerry]

Here's an excerpt from a report of our last trip to Hart's Pass in August, 2001:

...Jonah led us toward the mountains for a few miles then
turned off the North Cascade Highway onto a county road
paralleling the highway. We passed the Mazama store and
continued on the paved county road to Monument Creek
and Ballard Campgrounds where the Forest Service road to
Hart?s Pass begins.

The Hart?s Pass Road, FR5400, has been written up in several
magazine articles, history books and even talked about on TV
programs. It is supposedly the highest road in Washington
State at 7300 feet, it affords a fantastic view of the
surrounding mountains and it leads to the interesting, mostly
intact, private and gated mining camp of Barron. The road
was built by gold miners back in the late 1800?s as a shortcut
to town. Much of the road was crudely blasted out of the
hillside and many writers have commented on how steep,
narrow and scary the drive is to the top. Well, take it from
me, a guy who IS scared of heights, the drive, both up and
down, was easy. It was just another typical, though scenic,
mountain road in my book.

Near the top was a small Ranger District office and a little
further up the road were facilities where we stopped for a
break. Continuing upward we reached the parking area just
below the summit of Slate Peak where some of us hiked to
the lookout on top of the mountain. You could see for miles!
The surrounding mountain tops look completely different from
7300 feet. We talked with several hikers who had come in
on the Pacific Crest Trail as well as some horse back riders
who started their journey from the rest area. We did not have
time to drive to Barron or beyond so that drive might become
a future backroad adventure. [As in next month]

On the way down the grade we passed several oncoming cars
and every time we passed there was a convenient pullout
available. Although we were all driving 4x4?s, that option
certainly was not necessary. We saw a newer, low slung
Dodge, a Lincoln LS and a fairly new Buick on the road. The
roadway was bumpy and very dusty, but passable by most
cars...

[tjguy98]

Yep, that was a great trip Jerry! I had the family along as well as my brother Ken and his family too. We enjoyed the drive and especially the view from the look out; that was pretty cool to be above the surrounding peaks.

Here is a link to my Flickr site where I just uploaded a few pictures from the Hart's Pass trip. When the slideshow starts click on the faded "I" in the centre of the picture to see the write up for each picture, about 12 in all.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjguy98...7600947673317/

[Jerry]

Hey, I remember you! You're the guy who left a couple of beautiful girls with me while you hiked to the top of the mountain. I have been meaning to thank you for that, Ed. And thanks for the photo link. I was thinking we drove our Grand Cherokee to Hart's Pass, but it was the "pick-up-the-parts-behind" Chevy Tahoe. Are you coming down for the next Hart's Pass run? We plan to drive some of the old mining roads this time.

[tjguy98]

Probably not, although I'd love to! But you have a pretty good idea of my work schedule, and I doubt that it will allow me to come.

[GOZ 2 11]

Sounds like a trip I'd like to take. I went camping up at Harts Pass several years ago?yes, beautiful country and the view from the top of Slates Peak is stunning. Lots of wildlife. Some large hoofed animal woke me up walking through the campsite and peed on a dropcloth we set out. Sounded like a fire hose! Never knew what it was. I've got a stock 95 Landcruiser and a more capable CJ-5?both have winches. Not sure which one to take. Are the other mining roads you are considering exploring able to be driven by a Cruiser? It's a much more comfortable ride from Whidbey than the CJ. Also, will anyone be doing camping?

[Jerry]

Our host suggests we drive comfortable vehicles, including passenger cars, so my wife and I will be driving our Ford Escape. I would say your Land Cruiser will work just fine and should handle any unforeseen circumstances.

As to camping, I have not heard one way or the other as to who is doing what. Gary, our trip leader is staying at their cabin near Winthrop and Evelyn and I are booked into a motel while our dogs visit the kennel. We are turning the trip into a mini-vacation.

Regarding road conditions, the Hart's Pass Road originally continued eight miles beyond the pass and ended at Canyon Creek. It was the original route to Bellingham followed by the miners before they blasted the current Hart's Pass Road out of the mountain. Prior to that they followed Canyon Creek to Ruby Creek then the Skagit River. To this day there is a hiking trail from the end of the road to where Canyon Creek meets Ruby Creek at Highway 20 about 3 miles from the backwaters of Ross Lake. So after all the explanation the fact is a bridge washed out near where the road joins Slate Creek and we can only drive a couple of miles beyond the pass before the road is blocked. I understand the portion from the pass to Slate Creek is bumpy, but passable.

The big question is whether the Forest Service will have the Hart's Pass Road repaired. They are hoping to finish it by the first weekend in August so everybody has their fingers crossed. Otherwise Gary has some alternate routes planned for us just in case. Alternate or no, you can't go wrong backroading anywhere in that part of the country.

We are looking forward to going and we hope to see you there!
Jerry

[Jerry]

I just heard from Gary a few minutes ago and the Hart's Pass Road will be closed longer than expected and will not open in time for our tour. The USFS finished clearing the landslide material and during a subsequent inspection discovered a crack (at a different location) that could result in the road slipping away from the mountain. Until the stability of the road is guaranteed it will remain closed.

Gary has proposed alternate tour routes including a scenic drive up the Chewuch River to Thirtymile Camp, including a visit the memorial for the fallen firefighters, and depending on time, driving one or two loops via Cub Pass, Fifth Creek Pass and/or Banker Pass; this located between Mazama and Winthrop on the north side of the highway.

Of course we'll need time to browse the shops in Winthrop, sit on a bench on the boardwalk and do some people-watching while eating ice cream cones.

A regular passenger car should do the job just fine, so tour in comfort and we hope to see you in Winthrop.
Jerry

[Photog]

Hello,
I found this forum just a couple weeks ago. I was looking for folks in my local area. This is it.

I would like to go on this mini adventure and meet some new people. I already have reservations at the Virginian. I hope the trip is still going to proceed, even with Harts Passs closed.

[Jerry]

The trip is still on and we are looking forward to seeing you in Winthrop.
Jerry