Spring snowmobiling around Bennett Pass and Badger Lake, Oregon
After seeing very little snow this winter, I was happy to see a few Spring snow storms roll over the Mt Hood area the past week. Enough snow fell in the higher elevations to afford me another snowmobile trip. It's like Christmas in April!
My friend John had the day off today, so we went up to Bennett Pass to see how much snow we could find. Just about everything had melted at Government Camp, but there was still 4-6 inches at Bennett Pass SnoPark. We arrived to a nearly empty parking lot (one other vehicle) with light snow fall. Things were looking good.
As we snowmobiled higher up, the snow became consistently deeper, although we still ran into some thin spots every now and then. We decided to see if there was enough snow to snowmobile into Badger Lake. During normal snow years, there is so much snow that the last part of the trail into Badger Lake becomes so steep that it is impassable.
We lucked out and there was just enough snow to get all the way to Badger Lake. It was beautiful and eerily quiet.
From Badger Lake we backtracked a little and then headed higher up along Bennett Pass Rd toward Jean Lake and Gumjuwac Saddle. We found some fun deeper snow until the trail started losing elevation.
It was foggy and snowing most the day, so I wasn't able to get any awesome photos this trip. But we had a great time snowmobiling, so I wasn't too worried.
The weather forecast is predicting more mountain snow over the next week, so maybe I'll get one more chance to snowmobile this year.
Gear List
2014 Polaris 800 Pro RMK Snowmobile
2013 Polaris 800 Switchback Assault Snowmobile
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
First Aid Kit
SPOT Gen3
Samsung Galaxy S5 w/BackCountry Navigator
Suunto A-10 Compass
Disclaimer: You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards of backcountry travel and taking the necessary precautions. Loomis Adventures may not be held liable.
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