Snowmobiling on Mt Adams A.G. Aiken Lava Bed

Kevin and I decided to give Mt Adams a try on Sunday. I wanted to see if we could get up onto the A.G. Aiken Lava Bed on the South side of Mt Adams near the boundary of the Yakima Indian Reservation. The A.G. Aiken Lava Bed is just over one mile East of the popular South climb trailhead at Cold Springs campground. The weather was beautiful with mostly sunny skies and a temperature around 30°F. We unloaded the sleds at SnowKing Sno-Park which is about 6 miles Northeast of Trout Lake, Washington off forest road 82.

Download route (one-way) as shown in map above in Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format or GPX format for use with GPS units and mapping programs. Disclaimer.

We were surprised to only find a few other vehicles at SnowKing Sno-Park when we arrived. I was expecting a huge crowd due to the nice weather. There was plenty of snow on the trail and soon we were bumping along the extremely rutted trail up toward the A.G. Aiken Lava Bed on Mt Adams.

   

The snow softened up as the sun continued its assault on us, unlike a past trip to Mt Saint Helens where it was icy all day.

   

We rode part way onto the A.G. Aiken Lava Bed before stopping. I am chicken when it comes to avalanches, and I wasn't comfortable going any higher today. We ended up walking a bit higher just to find lots of exposed rocks. It wouldn't have been a fun ride after all.

   

   

   

We headed back down to the trail and continued to the border of the Yakima Indian Reservation. You can't ride into the reservation or up higher on Mt Adams where it is designated wilderness.

   

It was a great day. We didn't see anyone else out although we heard one other snowmobiler on a nearby ridge.

2017/18 Mileage

Trip: 24 miles
Season: 241 miles
Total Days: 8

2016/17 Season: 239 miles, 8 days

2015/16 Season: 408 miles, 15 days

Gear List

2014 Polaris 800 Pro RMK Snowmobile
2013 Polaris 800 Switchback Assault Snowmobile
Up North Technologies PRO SERIES Snowmobile Cargo Rack
P-700-B Low Profile Powder Keg
HMK Summit V16 Pack
GMAX GM76X Helmet
Smith Phenom Turbo Fan Goggles
Columbia Men’s Bugaboot Max Electric Boots
HMK Hustler 2 Snowmobile Pants
Columbia Titanium Hightail II Softshell Jacket
HMK Cascade Snowmobile Jacket
Columbia Powerfly Down Puff Jacket
Head Digital Sport Liner Gloves
Outdoor Research Ambit Gloves
Columbia Men's Fast Trek Fleece Hat
Balaclava
HighGear ATF8 Altimeter
Petzl TIKKA XP 2 Headlamp
Olympus Tough TG-1 Camera
Lifeline Aluminum Sport Utility Snow Shovel
Fiskars POWER TOOTH Softgrip 10" Folding Saw
Kel-Tec P-3AT .380 Auto
First Aid Kit
SPOT Gen3
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active w/BackCountry Navigator
Suunto A-10 Compass