Friday, December 25, 2015

FS 598 Rd. Loop - Summit Prairie/Huddleston 12/25/15

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Location: County 62 rd. to Huddleston snow park & Summit Prairie

Road & Trail Conditions: Hwy. 26 dry pavement, blowing snow.  Co. 62 dry, at forest boundry plowed, packed snow & ice, light gravel on curves.

FS 598 rd at Co. 62 rd looking east; easy to miss with the snowbank from plow.  Rd. # sign buried by snow


FS 598 rd to 625; north for awhile, backtrack south to 1660.  east for awhile, backtrack to 16 S. north up Co. 62, cross west at 598 to 185 north to snowpark and back down 62 rd to 598.  follow that?  it's on the map above. another way to do this is to start at the 62/16 jct., ski uphill & then back down.

Snow Conditions: deep - 6', variations on groomed with 3-6" new snow, ski tracks, snowmobile tracks, break trail. lt. to moderate constant flurries, occasional snow showers, maybe 1" accumulation thru day. alternating partly sunny to snow shower cloudy. occasional wind gust dropped temp. to 0 quickly.

a great base is forming.  some of the first grooming is now buried. snowmobile tracks over that grooming offer great conditions; otherwise, very deep.  as more grooming gets done, options will increase.

FS 625, snowmobile tracks with 8-16" over groomed last week


Skis on & temperature: 9:30am 11°;  JD 22°

Skis off & temperature: 3pm 20°; PC 26°, JD 29°

Distance: 11 miles

Rating (1-10; 10 awesome): 9.5 slightly sticky & deep snow

coming down the 625 rd.


Comments: the FS 598 rd. is halfway between huddleston snow park & the 62/16 jct.  good place to head east.  followed ski tracks (thank you, glen johnston?), then snowmobile tracks. a loop can be made with several variations depending on trail & leg conditions.  there is an unmarked road for a short distance that connects the FS 185 rd. across Co. 62 to the 598 to make the loop.



today, the best trail was the 1660 starting at the 625 & east; west was choppy & deep.  would have liked to have gone further east on the 1660 & around.



 i love this place