The forecast was showing that it was going to be a bluebird day around the Northwest. So, I suggested, “Let’s go play in the snow!”

We’re not talking skiing or snowboarding, we’re talking playing. Since we were headed up into the winter wilderness, we needed a checklist to make sure we had what we would need.  Kids (if you have them) in the car – check. Gas in the car – check. Chains or snow tires – check. Sleds – check. Food and beverages (especially hot chocolate) – check.

Find a sledding hill… well, that’s part of the fun! With that, our adventure begins.

Parking Lot for Backcountry Access

From Bellingham, we drove up the Mount Baker Highway (aka “East 542”) to “Mountain Baker” as my daughter Violet calls it. There are many places to go sledding once into the upper alpine environment, with the most popular being Picture Lake. You can’t miss it when you drive up!

You’ll see the FIRS Mount Baker Chalet. There is parking alongside the road around the loop up to the Mount Baker Ski Area parking lot. Be sure to note that sledding is prohibited within the boundaries of the Mount Baker Ski Area.

We were able to stay close to our car so we would have quick access to our creature comforts. The reality when it comes to sledding is that you don’t need a huge, steep hill for fun. Really, it’s about making your own sled tracks and then just making laps up and down for as long as you can last.

It felt like a New England day with blue skies and bitter cold combined with the scenic grandeur of the Swiss Alps. We were blessed with the best of all worlds of sun and snow in the shadow of Komo Kulshan (the native name for Mount Baker). One of the reasons that we chose to go to the top was for the views. Looking to the North, we had great views of Goat Mountain and the peaks that border and cross over into Canada.

Looking to the Northwest, we could see Nooksack Ridge with Mount Sefrit and Ruth Mountain as its bookends. We were nestled in a safe setting of gentle slopes and easy access – while the surrounding scenery made it feel as though we were really out there doing something fantastic – which we were.

There are plenty of small slopes to make fun sled runs for the kids. If you are a bit more ambitious, you can also head up a bit to find some steeper slopes and longer runs. The great thing about sledding is that you get to make your sled tracks go wherever you’d like.

Peaks jutting into the blue beyond

Sledding and playing in the snow are simply fun. It’s accentuated when you do it with your kids. The joy of watching kids plow through the snow as if they are conquering a seemingly insurmountable force is priceless. I hope Violet has that same enthusiasm in 10 years (or sooner) when we’re breaking trail with skis and skins looking for some sweet (and safe) lines off Table Mountain or the shoulder of Mount Herman.

We got back to the car, excited to have our hot chocolate waiting for us. For some crazy reason, our big finale failed. The thermos we had didn’t quite do the job- but a solution was just down and around the corner at the ski lodge.

The convenience of having the ski area up there was perfect for our emergency. We headed down to the White Salmon Day Lodge at the base for our rescue rations. The lifts were now closed, but people were still skiing down to the base. Fortunately, the lodge was open and they were still serving hot chocolate. We got ourselves a well-deserved cup and settled into a table by the window, looking out at the stunning display of rock and ice that is Mount Shuksan. While I’ve used words to express the fun we had sledding, I think that this smile sums it up best.

Satisfied Sledder

Check out the weather conditions and and mountain temperature at Mount Baker Ski Area SNOW REPORT.

This blog post was originially written in 2014, and has been updated.