November might be called Snow Preparation Month, time for sprucing up skiing, snowboarding and snowshoe gear (and seeing if the clothes still fit), checking snowfall at the ski resorts and justifying your need to buy the latest gear/gadget to enjoy the snow.
It’s also time to buy a one-day or annual Sno-Park permit, which is available online at parks.state.wa.us/winter.
Sno-Park permits are valuable because 120 designated areas are cleared for access to cross-country and downhill skiing, snowmobiling, dog sledding and tubing.
And skijoring: Picture yourself on skis behind a dog or a horse or, for that matter, a vehicle, pulling you along on the snow. The term comes from a Norwegian word meaning ski driving.
But wait — there’s more to consider about those permits. If you purchase a one-day Sno-Park permit you’ll also need a daily or annual Discovery Pass if you’re going to a Sno-Park on land managed by the state park system or the state Department of Natural Resources. Those Sno-Parks include Lake Wenatchee, 92 Road, 1 Road, Crystal Springs, Easton Reload, Fields Spring, Hyak and Mount Spokane.
If you have annual Sno-Park permit, however, you don’t need a Discovery Pass.
Tip: Sno-Park permit vendors are not always located near Sno-Parks, so search online before you learn the hard way.
Think you’re done? Ha!
A special groomed-trail permit must be purchased with a seasonal Sno-Park permit for the following Sno-Parks: Hyak, Crystal Springs, Cabin Creek, Lake Easton, Lake Wenatchee (including Nason Ridge), Chiwawa Loop and Mount Spokane.
All Sno-Parks honor the one-day permit, and individuals who purchase a one-day permit are not required to purchase a special groomed-trail permit.
And yes, you can receive a ticket for parking in a Sno-Park without appropriate permits.
On the upside, revenue from Sno-Park permit sales is dedicated to the state parks’ winter recreation program and helps pay for trail grooming, snow removal, sanitation, education and enforcement.
The state manages more than 3,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and 300 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails. About 80 Sno-Parks are designated primarily for snowmobiling, and the rest are designated for non-motorized use.
So, if you want quiet and clean air on your outing, do your homework.
The website has grooming updates as well as information on Sno-Parks and trails. It also has excellent maps to help locate the Sno-Parks and advice on snowmobile trail etiquette.
Some designated areas are strictly for tubing and general snow play: Lake Wenatchee, Fields Spring, Hyak, Rose Springs, and Oldman Pass Sno-Parks. But tubing and general snow play are permitted in non-designated areas in many Sno-Parks and in state parks that are open in the winter.
For information, go to www.discoverpass.wa.gov or www.parks.state.wa.us/winter, or call 360-902-8684.
Freebie. The legislation that brought us the Discover Pass also brought us 12 days when state parks lift their entry fees for day-use and the requirement to have a Discover Pass. The pass is still required on those days if you are visiting land managed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources.
Free days for 2017 are: Jan. 1, Jan. 15-16, March 19, April 15, April 22, June 3, June 10, Aug. 25, Sept. 30, Nov. 11 and Nov. 24.
Out and about. Birders turned up a lot of fine-looking birds last month. An eared grebe was spotted in the Everett sewage pond along with about 20 canvasbacks. Six black scoters were seen in Puget Sound below Sunset Avenue in Edmonds, the same spot where they hung out last year. Two Wilson’s snipes were seen off the No. 1 viewing platform at the Edmonds marsh. Three Sandhill cranes spent time at the Jensen access on Fir Island.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964.
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