Stampede Pass connection to Greenwater

Stampede Pass is a popular place to ride... directly to the south is another great riding area known as Greenwater. Wouldn't it be cool if you could somehow get from one to the other? Well, if you've got a sense of adventure and better-than-average riding skills, there is a way to get from "here" to "there".

This trip description is being broken up into two legs for reasons based on distance and more importantly, terrain conditions.

The First Leg

The first portion of this trip, which we consider from the Stampede Pass area to the intersection of the 70xx road system, is pretty straight forward. About two-thirds of this leg is on groomed trails while the rest is on wide and easy roadways that are generally packed down from a bit of traffic that rides through this area.

The most direct route from Crystal Springs Sno-Park to the Greenwater connection is up the 54 road about 3 miles to the intersection of 41. Here you will turn left as if you were going out to Easton via the "high road". Following 41 for about 7.5 miles, you will see the 4112 turn-off to the right heading up towards Tacoma Pass. This is where the ungroomed trails begin as 4112 quickly merges with the 52 road for another 2 miles. At the intersection of 5210, turn left to stay on 52. A half mile down, you will meet another intersection with 5220. Turn right to continue on 52 and follow the downhill grade for 4 miles.

At the point where the 52 road meets the 7036, you can either continue west on 52 towards Lester and back up to the Stampede Pass Weather Station (this makes for a nice big loop) or... you can take the 7036 and make the connection to Greenwater!

First Leg Distance: 14 miles (from sno-park to 7036)

The Second Leg

The second portion of this trip, which we consider the 52xx road system to the Greenwater area, is a bit more tricky. Being an ungroomed route, cutting across a few steeper slopes with windblown sections and traversing a tight tree-lined ridge once you make the hillclimb to get up there... I'd have to say your experience through here could vary quite a bit based on weather, snow conditions and the tracks you may be following (or not). In other words, if you're not careful and not sure what you're doing, this could be a very likely place to get yourself into some serious trouble.

Heading up the 7036 off the 52 for about 2.5 miles, you will reach a "Y" in the road (you will also find your first caution area on this stretch - steep slopes, sometimes windblown). At this "Y" of 7036/7037, stay left onto the 7037 road for 2 miles (there's a spot on this stretch too where you should have a strong comfort level with keeping the machine from the natural pull of a downward slope). 7037 then comes to a "T" in the road with 7038 where you have two choices to Greenwater. Turning right on 7038 will take you around the north side of Pyramid Peak and very close to that sno-park at Greenwater. (We have yet to complete that route due to weather and terrain but for purposes of this page, we will describe the route to Greenwater via Green Pass.) Making a left on 7038, you will travel for 1 mile through some pretty good drifts. At the end of this portion of the trail, be on the look-out for round orange signs that read "BYPASS RD". Due to the harvesting of trees along the actual logging road here, the northern slope becomes severly windblown now to the point where it is completely unpassable even by some of the best riders we know who have tried season after season for many years (these are the same people who have marked this Green Pass Bypass).

The bypass trail is definitely not for the novice or even beginner rider. Intermediate, depends. The ascent to the top of this ridge is long and steep. Not to mention is goes through a fair amount of tall hefty trees - ones that would put a few dents on you or your sled if you happened to lose control and tumble down. Keep in mind, this is also your only way back home unless you've arranged a spot on someone's trailer leaving Greenwater. I know for sure, the people I ride with would not want to be stuck on this kind of slope in icy conditions. On the days we've done this, there was enough new snow that gave us some stopping friction as we literally slid down the side.

Once you make it to the top of the ridge, the trail across is about another mile and very well marked... and it's a good thing because this area isn't all that wide and the path between the trees is really tight! As you wind through, the signs lead you off the ridge and out of the trees where you connect back up the the 7038 on the other side of the windblown section. From this point on, the remaining 6 miles can be drifted and blown over with snow but still passable (with caution, of course). It is on this stretch where the 7038 turns into the 1913 and you eventually come out on to the 19 road.

Second Leg Distance: 13 miles (from 52/7036 intrsec to 1913/19 intrsec)

TOTAL Distance: 27 miles each way

Rider Ability: Definitely not for the novice or beginner rider. Intermediate, depends. For sure an advanced rider would find this challenging, fun and something they'd want to do again.

So now you know how to get from Stampede Pass to Greenwater (or vice versa). Where could you go from here?? If you took a right (due west) on the 19 road from that 1913 intersection, you could go to Government Meadows in the heart of the Greenwater riding area (+7 miles one way). If you took a left (due east) on the 19, you could head out to Raven's Roost (+13 miles one away), or meet someone at the Little Naches Sno-Park (+10 miles one away), or go as far as Whistlin' Jacks Lodge (+25 miles one way) for gas no doubt, some food and maybe an over-nighter in one of their cozy cabins.

Area Maps

Mapped routes for the first leg of this connection are found in our Stampede Pass map. The second leg is in the Greenwater map. The connection to WJL is shown in Yakima North.

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