State Needs Volunteers to Score Recreation, Conservation Grant Applications

The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office is looking for nearly 70 volunteers to help determine how millions of dollars in state grants should be spent in Washington’s great outdoors. The volunteers will score grant applications submitted in two statewide programs: (1) the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, which provides grants to build and renovate parks and trails, and to protect and restore valuable wildlife habitat and farmland, and (2) the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account, which provides grants to restore Washington shorelines and create access for people to the waterfront. The grants are awarded to cities, counties, state agencies, tribes and others.

If you are interested, you can see the details here. Applicatations are due by March 30th.

The Skiing Season Has Started!

With all of the fresh snow that has started falling, the skiing season is now upon us. Before you head out to the trails, remember to check out the Grooming and Conditions Reports submitted by other skiers. We would also love to here from you what the trails are like when you are done skiing, so please send a report or review of the area to our web administrator Jackson.

About the Nooksack Nordic Ski Club

The Nooksack Nordic Ski Club was formed in 1992 to foster cross country skiing opportunities in Bellingham, Whatcom County and the state of Washington.

We maintain and groom the trail systems at Salmon Ridge Sno Park and nearby, and provide clinics to help improve skiing techniques.

Our members ordinarly go on lots of ski trips to our "home" trails we maintain, and to other areas. Come join the fun!

Last Minute Day Trips/Carpooling Email List Server

All members of NNSC may join the NNSC Email List Server.

The primary purpose of this Email List Server is to facilitate the organization of last minute day trips and carpooling to our home trails near Mt. Baker and other local destinations such as Cypress Mountain, Stevens Pass, Manning Park, etc..

With the highly variable weather and snow conditions in the Pacific Northwest, it is often a last minute decision to go skiing in a few days. So, if you are going out and wish to invite others to join you for company and companionship or just carpooling, you can send an email to NooksackNordics@GoogleGroups.com. Also the list may be used to ask questions and for other discussions on the general subject of XC skiing.

Membership in the list is voluntary and restricted to NNSC members so you will receive no SPAM. You may easily unsubscribe from the list at any time. All email addresses are kept private. All replies to messages are only sent to the person who sent the original message and not to the entire group unless you “Reply All“.

If you are a new member of NNSC, watch for an invitation to join the list in your email. You may join this list at any time later by sending an email to the list moderator, Don Hicks, hicks46@netzero.net.

Lowland skiing possibilities blog

Geology professor Dave Tucker has a website devoted to ski trail reports in the Chuckanut and related hills in Whatcom/Skagit. It is a subscription website, or blog. People can subscribe via email, submit reports on ski trails and conditions. Click here to go directly to the page, or on Links to see this and other links.

We have great meetings, September through March, with some fun programs.

How to join ...

Please complete the Membership application, print it, and mail it. R fill out the application in the newsletter. Our mailing address: Nooksack Nordic Ski Club; PO Box 28793; Bellingham, WA. 98228 To learn more about the benefits of membership, click here.

Getting here

Salmon Ridge Sno-Park is located 13 miles (21 kilometers)east of Glacier, Washington State, just past milepost 46 (or about 45 miles east of Bellingham) on Washington State Route 542, across from Silver Fir Campground. Base Parking is at the 2000 foot level. White Salmon Road is 1000 feet higher.For current avalanche conditions, refer to avalanche Here are the gps coordinates: 48 degrees 54.189 min. N and 121 degrees, 41.699 min W. Click here for a map of the route, and of the ski trails map on the reader board.

The trail we call White Salmon road is a few minutes drive up the highway. It is safest to turn around near the first alpine lodge, then come back down to the parking area because of the sharp curve.

The Salmon Ridge Ski Trail System includes all the trails the USFS permits us to use, including Anderson Creek Road, Ridge Road, Hannegan, White Salmon Road as well as the Razohone Road "core" area. We groom and maintain the trails for everyone's skiing pleasure with lots of work from volunteers and by contract. There are also snowshoe trails at the ski area, and other locations. Click here for an overview map and closer views.

The ski areas are open to the public free of charge except for sno-park permits, but club membership and donations are appreciated to help meet expenses. The areas are brushed and maintained by club members on a volunteer basis. Sno-cat grooming of trails for skate skiing and the laying of cross country ski tracks are done by a contract groomer, usually once a week. Grants obtained through the Washington State Parks Winter Recreation Sno Park Program and the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board for the National Recreation Trails Program (NRTP) help pay for this hard work.

Sno Park Permits

You must have a sno-park permit. Parking is not free. The parking areas on both s ides of the road (highway 542) at Salmon Ridge are designated as a Washington State Sno-Park and thus a Sno-Park permit is required.

The good news: Washington Sno-Park permits are accepted in Washington, Oregon & Idaho. Where do the permit fees go? Specifically, they go to SALMON RIDGE among others! Proceeds from permit sales are used to maintain and improve nonmotorized Sno-Park facilities. They help pay for snow removal, sanitation facilities, trail grooming, trail signs, mapping, parking lot construction, education, enforcement and program administration. There are more than 40 SnoParks in Washington alone.

Costs: Seasonal permit: $40 through the NNSC. There is a $1 vendor fee added to the permits when you buy them through a variety of vendors. Click here for more information about vendors in the Bellingham and closer to the mountain, and this link for a huge amount of information from Washington State.

One day permits cost $20 from the State Parks, and from NNSC; $21 when purchased through vendors.

Please note a parking fine of at least $66.00 per offense is levied by the Forest Service and Whatcom County for parking in a Sno-Park without a permit. The fine is much more than the cost of buying a pass, and no fun.

Sharing the snow, not the trails

Snowshoers are welcome to use the trails created and designed for your benefit in the Salmon Ridge area. We work very hard to maintain and groom all trails. Please, in those sections where there is not a separate snowshoe trail, help us keep our ski trails intact by walking on the shoulders outside the ski tracks and groomed surface. This is also a safety matter. The area between the ski tracks is reserved for skate skiers. Keep in mind also: Hannegan Road is often groomed by the club for snowshoers, and skiers with dogs. Thank you!

See the Trails page for more information the trails in the ski area, and a map.

There are also a lot of other trails in addition to those at Salmon Ridge for snowshoers to enjoy. Please check out these suggested alternatives. Click this link for other trails.