Trip Report
Winter Scramble - Aurora Peak (winter)
Gorgeous views of Lake Crescent on Happy Lake Ridge. A brisk day that began wet/blustery, but became calm and cooler in the afternoon.
Dave Morgan
- Sat, Feb 1, 2020
- Winter Scramble - Aurora Peak
- Aurora Peak
- Scrambling
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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With recent rains/warmer temperatures, the Aurora Creek culvert (under Highway 101) was close to capacity in the morning. We made sure to park both our cars on the east side of the culvert in case it washed out during the day. Did not encounter snow on the trail until ~2000’ in the AM, with snowshoes not needed until ~3200’. Brought micro-spikes, but only needed the snowshoes. Restrooms at Storm King Ranger Station were open and heated.
A surprising beautiful/enjoyable day given the forecast for precipitation (wet down low, snow higher) and high winds from the SSW. As usual, Happy Lake Ridge provided great protection from the winds, and we had mostly light gusts with intermittent snow flurries throughout the day. The open slopes near Aurora Peak had exposed heather with only a light snow covering. Bright sunshine greeted us on our descent with blue sky here and there to nicely finish the day. Total time was 8 hours, with 4.5 hours on the ascent. Photos from this and other trips to this venue can be seen here.