Sno-parks open up new ski options: three new California sites … for skiing, sledding, camping
Sunset Magazine
Jan, 1992
by Lora J. Finnegan
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... i_11764007
PICTURE LIMITLESS snowy miles of ski, sled, and snowmobile terrain in national forests. Now imagine them essentially closed to recreation simply for lack of a plowed parking lot, trail markers, and a few facilities. That's the problem California's growing Sno-Park system was created to solve.
Modeled after similar programs in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, the relatively small but growing California system now boasts 15 sites--3 new since last winter. They range throughout the Sierra Nevada, from Yuba Pass south to Huntington Lake.
Recreation areas served by Sno-Park sites are mostly undeveloped. Some ski trails are marked, but none are set with tracks or groomed; each site has a pit toilet but no water.
HOT SNOW PARKS--ECHO
SUMMIT, SHAVER LAKE
Two of the best-developed sites each have well-marked cross-country ski trails and snow-play slopes, as well as equipment rentals and permit sales on site or nearby.
Echo Lake/Echo Summit. Managed as one site, these new snow parks are on both sides of U.S. Highway 50 at the 7,382-foot summit, 60 miles east of Placerville.
Bring your skinny skis to Echo Lake, 1 mile north of U.S. 50 on Echo Lake Road. For the best views, ski northwest 1 1/2 miles up the unplowed road (moderately difficult) to a vista point overlooking the lake; continue on a level 1-mile trail along the lake's south shore (back-track to return).
Echo Summit, just east off U.S. 50 at the base of a defunct downhill ski area, has a gentle slope and long, safe runout that make it ideal for sledding and snow play. On weekends this winter, the Forest Service plans to sell permits and rent cross-country ski equipment out of the old clock tower lodge.
For snow conditions, call (916) 644-6048.
Coyote Sno-Park. Of the four popular snow parks strung along State Highway 168 northeast of Fresno, this 6,760-foot-elevation site 18 miles beyond Shaver Lake offers the greatest variety of cross-country terrain on four well-marked ski trails, as well as free camping at nearby Huntington Lake.
Eagle Lake Trail, an easy 5-mile out-and-back trek, heads west from the parking lot to the Shaver Lake Vista. The toughest ski route is the 6-mile Coyote Loop, which climbs up Tamarack Mountain for views of jewel-like Huntington Lake.
For snow conditions, call (209) 841-3311.
You can rent equipment in Shaver Lake at Four Seasons Ski & Bike, 41838 Highway 168. Permits are available at the Pineridge Ranger Station (open 8 to 4:30 daily) on the highway in town.
WHERE TO FIND PERMITS
AND PARKS
Sno-Park permits cost $3 daily, $20 yearly. (Fines are steep--$75 to $200--for parking without a permit visible on the dashboard.) They're sold at some forest ranger stations and small stores near the parking sites.
To buy a permit before heading up to the mountains, check at ski shops or any California State Automobile Association office. Or send a check to California Parks and Recreation (Attention: Reservations), Box 942896, Sacramento 94296. Specify the date for which you need the permit; delivery takes at least two weeks.
For a statewide list and maps, request Recreational Guide to California Sno-Park Sites ($3) from the above address.
COPYRIGHT 1992 Sunset Publishing Corp.
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