Washington State Parks announced Friday that it will not open 14 motorized Sno-Parks — plowed winter trailheads on public lands that primarily serve snowmobiles — for the 2024-2025 winter season.
State Parks stated in a news release that the decision was prompted primarily by “a roughly 25% reduction in funds available from snowmobile registrations.”
The closures represent 16% of the state’s 89 motorized Sno-Parks.
The preemptively closed Sno-Parks, scattered from the Umatilla National Forest in southeast Washington to the Colville National Forest in the north-central part of the state, are: Bethel Ridge/Soup Creek, Clear Lake, Cloverland, Crawfish, Crow Creek, Echo Valley, Elk Heights, Fish Creek, French Cabin, Nile, Nine Bark, Reecer Creek, Skate Creek and Taneum.
No motorized Sno-Parks in Snoqualmie Pass or along Highway 2 are included in the closure, and closures will not affect nonmotorized Sno-Parks designated for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Those Sno-Parks are self-funded by permit sales to human-powered recreationists.