Sierra trip planners: remember this stuff? SNOW

Statewide percentage of average April 1 snowpack (historical maximum date): 158%
Statewide percentage of average Feb 23 snowpack: 191%

In sum, we have about twice average for the date and if it doesn't snow another flake, half again as much as an average complete season. Not only will trails open a month or more late, damage from windfall (recalling the tens of millions of dead trees) and washouts will be considerable.

August and September look promising.

That's true for the Cascades and Olympics, too. Much higher than normal snowpack (not quite as high as California), and considerable trail damage, a lot of which will probably not get fixed this year. No dead trees here, but lots of high winds, rainfall, ice storms.

Even low-level trails in our Columbia River Gorge are snowed/iced in, still. The cold air settles in there, causing lots of snow and freezing rain, and this year it hasn't yet left!

And when the snow melts, stream crossings will be difficult and dangerous! Be careful. Water kills more people than anything else in the back country.

Wind Rivers are nearly 200% and a big storm is moving in tomorrow. My daughter who lives in Durango CO, says it is a high snow year there too.

Go east, young man [or woman]! (with apologies to Horace Greeley)