Carbon River Valley in Snow

Ian Freeman

30 Mar 2025 — 3 min read

Catelynn walking through the snow-blanketed forest

After an agonizingly dry January (I'm talking about weather), February welcomed us with a long awaited low elevation snow dump. Well, more of a snow dust in Tacoma, but it was exciting nonetheless. I'd been daydreaming of seeing one of my favorite stretches of forest, the Carbon River valley, covered in snow, and this may be the best opportunity we were going to get. Conditions were ideal; a snow level low enough to properly blanket the valley bottoms, but not low enough to stop us from getting out of town. Catelynn thankfully agreed to join me on this endeavor, and we set off after breakfast.

My struggle of late has been determining the optimal time to put on chains when driving in PNW winter. In Wyoming the snow was dry, and I had two winters of zero chain usage. In western Washington the snow is less forgiving, and my strategy so far has been to chain up when I see others in some fashion of unpleasant scenario. This day was no different, and when we passed a vehicle in a ditch 3 miles from the trailhead, we knew it was time. The several cars we found upon arrival were all unchained, but my tires are nearing the end of their lives, and better safe than sorry.

After a quick appraisal of the snow depth, we nixed skis and snowshoes and settled on regular plain old boots for our journey. Skis would have been fun, but neither of us were keen on scratching them up on the sticks and stones that hid only an inch or two below the surface. And going slower simply means more time to appreciate each beautiful moment, right? The man who vigorously marched past us with headphones in and eyes straight ahead certainly disagreed, but I bet we were having a better time.

Until we stopped for lunch, we were being lightly assaulted by sideways blowing snow, which was a little uncomfortable but didn't diminish the joy of seeing all the humongo douglas-firs protruding from the shroud of whiteness. But I was thankful for the comparative stillness of the return journey. Anyways, I've lost my energy for more writing so here are all the photos!

Post-lunch snowiness! And the size of those dougs 😮

Clouds cleared enough at the end for beautiful valley views.

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Walking with a heavy backpack is one of my all time favorite activities, especially when it involves trudging through sand and clambering over ocean sprayed boulders. While living in Wyoming and even in Tacoma, I've neglected the coast, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity for

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This is not junk mail, this is pictures of yellow leaves.

Up the Hoh

I Like My Cedars BIG

Hoppin Around on Slippery Rocks