Basic Snowshoe - Commonwealth Basin

Issaquah Transit Center (SR-900), 7:45am.  We'll be parking in one of the lots for the Summit West ski area, so we'll get an early start to avoid the crowds.

Commonwealth Basis is a beautiful valley on the north side of I-90 at Snoqualmie  Pass.  It's a fairly short trip that doesn't require as much driving as other winter destinations, making it a good choice when the days are short and other holiday plans may be on the calendar.

Our exact route will depend on conditions, but the tentative plan is to  follow the approximate route of the Old Commonwealth Trail up the length of the valley to an elevation of about 3900'.  (At that point the trail starts to get steep and more exposed to Avy.)  The route is moderate but there could be some occasional steeper portions through the trees.  This trip is at the middle of the Easy+ range in the old Snowshoe trip ratings, and is an S2/T2 in the new ratings.

Please note: Basic Snowshoe students must have completed their course field trip to be eligible for this trip (unless they already are Scramble or Climb graduates).

Sunrise will be approximately 7:30am and sunset approximately 4:15pm.