Trail #11 Snipes Mountain

General trail guide for Morrison Creek area. Trails include: Snipes Mountain #11, Gotchen Creek #40, Buck Creek #54, Pine Way #71, Cold Springs #72, Crofton Butte #73, and Salt Creek #75.

Area Status: Closed

This Trail Open to Hiker and Equestrian Use.

Snipes Mountain trail climbs through open pine forests and across rocky slopes through the remains of the 2008 Coldsprings Fire, 2012 Cascade Creek Fire, and 2015 Cougar Creek Fire. It meets Pineway Trail #71, then continues into Mt. Adams Wilderness and upwards for another 2.75 miles to the junction with Round the Mountain Trail #9 in high mountain meadows. The trail roughly follows the A.G. Aiken Lava Bed, a 4-miles long and approximately one-half mile wide lava flow from an eruption about 4,000 years ago.

The trail is named after Ben Snipes, a local cattleman. Mt. Adams is historically know for sheep herding; cattle weren't grazed in the Mt. Adams area until 1912, a year that marks the beginning of a number of disputes between sheepherders and cattlemen known locally as the Range Wars.

At a Glance

Current Conditions:	11/06/2023: Trail has received snow. Trail is hard to follow in areas where the tread is sandy or burned over. Have the ability to trail find if necessary. For further information contact the Mt. Adams Ranger Station at 509-395-3402.
Permit Info:	Wilderness Permit required if entering Mt. Adams Wilderness. Free self-issue Wilderness Permit available at trailhead. A seperate permit is required to use the section of the Round-the-Mountain trail in the Yakama Indian Reservation in the Bird Creek Meadows area. Contact the Yakama Nation for information regarding permits and closures.
Usage:	Light
Restrictions:	Wilderness Regulations apply. Mountain bikes can only be used from the trailhead up to the junction of Pineway Trail #71. Building, maintaining, or using a campfire, within Mt. Adams Wilderness is prohibited: Above the Round-The-Mountain Trail #9 from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Boundary west to Pacific Crest Trail #2000; Above Pacific Crest Trail #2000 north to the intersection of Highline Trail #114; Above trail #114 north and east to the Gifford Pinchot Forest Boundary. (36 CFR 261.52(a) )
Closest Towns:	Trout Lake, WA
Passes:	Purchase of a Cascades Volcano Pass is required if you are climbing above 7,000 feet elevation in Mt. Adams Wilderness, between May 1 and September 30. (For Wilderness travel at low elevation or during the off-season, Wilderness Permits are required. Failing to pay any special use fee or other charges as required. 36 CFR 261.10(n)).
Operated By:	Forest Service
Information Center:	Mt. Adams Ranger District