Cross-country Skiing Keechelus Lake Dam Loop Trail

That Dam Loop Trail on Keechelus Lake is a fun and varied cross-country skiing loop located east of Snoqualmie Pass. On a Sunday when Hyak and Cabin Creek Sno-Parks were full, we found the eastbound Price Creek Sno-Park to have only a few cars, and only an occasional person to be seen on the trails.

We have usually taken the loop in a counter-clockwise direction, though next we’d recommend doing it clockwise since then the harder ungroomed trail would get done first and you’d have the beautiful open views across Keechelus Lake awaiting you near the end of your outing.

To get there, go to the eastbound (not westbound) Price Creek exit off of I-90, about 9 miles past the Snoqualmie Pass summit. The trail goes tightly downhill for a while through the woods, then undulates until opening out into a large clearing on the east side of the Keechelus Lake Dam. Up on top of the dam, views span around to Cascade Mountains in all directions up and down the valley and across the lower winter levels of the reservoir. Following the top of the dam eventually leads to the smooth, level, and groomed Iron Horse Trail rails-to-trails corridor. You’ll have some snowmobile fumes and noise along here for a while until ducking back into the forest again. Then the trail is a very pleasant forest trip, until ending at a packed parking lot filled with RVs and snowmobilers. Walk east out of the area and after crossing a bridge turn left into an unmarked and very ungroomed trail that meanders through forest with some huge older growth trees and vistas onto the Yakima River. This takes you back full circle.