Now that Christmas is over, it’s time  to break out the new snowshoes (or dust off the ones you got last year but never got around to using) and hit trails.  Commonwealth Basin at Snoqualmie Pass is one of our favorite close-to-home winter hikes.

During times of heavy snow, you’ll see broken trees capped with with globs of snow that will remind you of  ice cream cones.  Natural snow bridges form over rivers and there are ample opportunities for snowshoe flips into deep powder.

When the snowpack is light (like it is right now), waterfalls and rivers pop out from unexpected places.  But either way, it’s always beautiful, always different.

Some places are so steep that you can play “snowball bowling” (my winning shot this weekend was at least 40 yards).  An inviting alpine valley just begs to be off roaded – but be careful you don’t step into a river by mistake.  Some of the drops can be over ten feet deep!

If you live in the Seattle area, its only 60 minutes from your door (free parking in the Snoqualmie Pass ski area).  Walk under I-90 like you’re going to going to Alpental and look for the tracks on your right.  After a few minutes you’ll see an outhouse and then it’s just a matter of choosing a trail up the hill.  It’s pretty hard to get lost on this path, if you get turned around or tired, just walk downhill until you reach the freeway.

There are only two downsides to this hike: 1. It’s so close to Seattle that the trail can feel crowded on weekends.  2. You can hear the roar of the freeway for the the first mile.  But these are quickly forgotten the first time you notice an old growth tree or bunny tracks in the powder.