Unparalleled Nordic North America’s best Nordic trail system is in the Methow Valley BY ASHLEY LODATO
P
icture a vast glittering white blanket, with smooth stretches, steep folds, and a few rolling bumps. Now add a shimmering river, frosted pines and majestic cottonwoods. A network of pathways spiders across the blanket, running through
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fields, over hill and dale. Sprinkle in a couple of cozy huts and a charming town at either end of the blanket, and you’ve got the Methow Valley trails system spread out before you, just waiting for you to clip on your skis (or snowshoes, or fat bike) and insert yourself into the picture.
Widely celebrated as the largest Nordic ski trails system in North America, this 200-kilometer network of skate platforms and classic tracks is one of the Methow Valley’s biggest lures. Managed and maintained by Methow Trails (www.methowtrails. org), the trails system is the result of the vision of a group of skiing friends in the 1970s, whose foresight and tireless efforts to secure rights-of-way on public and private lands provides thousands of hours of enjoyment and exercise each year. Nordic skiers are probably wondering what impact the Methow Valley’s 2021 wildfires will have on winter trail access. The short answer is, not much. Although some
Photo courtesy Methow Trails
of the outer reaches of the trail system accessed from Chickadee Trailhead were severely burned and will remain closed for the season — and quite possibly beyond — to allow time to regenerate, most of the winter trails were largely unaffected by the fires. As you ski, you’ll see some blackened forests and possibly notice wider corridors due to fire lines, but for the most part you’ll enjoy the winter wonderland the way you always have. And if you’re here for the first time, it’s likely you won’t observe anything out of the ordinary. Thank you for respecting trail closure signs, for your own safety and for the long-term health of the forest and trail system.
Methow Valley News
