Winter 2026/27 · Methow Valley
The Methow Community Trail runs past the door. Wolf Ridge is a named trailhead on it, which means the skiing starts where the shoveling ends (no drive, no parking lot, no loading skis onto a car in the dark).
The network
Methow Trails is the largest cross country ski network in North America. The Methow Community Trail is the 30 km spine of it.
The connector that links the four primary trail areas: Mazama, Winthrop, Sun Mountain and Cub Creek. Wolf Ridge is a named trailhead on the corridor, which is what ski-in/ski-out means here in practice.
Weekends, holidays and Wednesdays: the full 200+ km. Tuesdays and Thursdays: a lighter pass, roughly 100 km. Groomers run overnight and the conditions report posts between 6 and 7 in the morning.
Grooming begins when the snow arrives, which in recent years has been anywhere from late October to early December. The 2026/27 opening date is not yet announced. Current conditions are posted every morning.
What it costs to ski
Passes are bought from Methow Trails, not from us. Kids ski free, which changes the arithmetic of a family week considerably.
| Pass | Price |
|---|---|
| Ski day pass | $32 |
| Three consecutive days (plus $28 for each additional day) | $84 |
| Ten day punch card | $280 |
| Annual (on sale after Nov 1 2026) | $425 |
| Annual weekday | $225 |
| Snowshoe or fat bike day pass | $10 |
| Snowshoe and fat bike annual | $50 |
| Dog day pass / annual ($50 annual, select dog friendly trails) | $10 |
| Kids 17 and under, adults 75 and over (free every day) | Free |
Source: methowtrails.org/passes
Downhill, and everything else
about 30 minutes from the house. Small, uncrowded, and steeper than people expect.
10+ km of groomed nordic trails (dog friendly), snowshoe routes, tubing, and the only alpine luge in the Pacific Northwest.
Loup Loup ran four days a week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) in 2025/26 and had not posted its 2026/27 calendar as of late August 2026. Check before you build a trip around a specific day.
Before you set off
The North Cascades Highway (SR 20) over Rainy and Washington passes closes every winter and does not reopen until somewhere between mid April and early May. It closed on December 4 in 2025 and the eastern section did not reopen until April 30 2026. From Seattle in winter you come around the south end: I-90 or US 2 east, then north up the Columbia and into the valley. It is a longer drive than the map app will suggest in July, so give yourself the afternoon.
Closure and reopening dates from WSDOT. The 2026/27 closure is announced only a few days ahead, on avalanche conditions.
Winter calendar
Confirmed dates are marked as such. Everything else recurs every year but has not published its 2026/27 date yet.
November 26 to 28, 2026 · Downtown Winthrop
Winthrop's flagship holiday weekend. Horse drawn sleigh rides, chainsaw carving, caroling, outdoor skating, and fireworks over Riverside Avenue. A Turkey Trot 5K opens it on Thanksgiving morning.
DetailsNovember 27 to 28, 2026 · Twisp
The valley's holiday shopping weekend, nine miles down the road in Twisp.
DetailsDecember 3, 2026 · Winthrop
An evening of short films about the people and country the trail network runs through.
DetailsDecember 26, 2026 · Methow Trails HQ, 21 Horizon Flats Rd
A costumed human and dog ski race the day after Christmas. Humans ski, dogs run leashed, both in costume, and there is a Golden Poodle Trophy for best in show. By donation, and the money goes to dog trail grooming.
DetailsJanuary 29, 2027 · Valley wide
Free trail access for the day. The cheapest possible way to find out whether you like skate skiing.
DetailsFebruary 6, 2027 · Methow River to Sun Mountain Lodge
Ninth annual. Marathon, half and relay across the network. Registration opens September 21 2026.
DetailsEarly February 2027, date to be announced · McCabe trails
Methow Valley Nordic's signature all ages race and a Junior Olympics qualifier, which brings youth teams in from across the west.
DetailsPresidents Day weekend, date to be announced · Winthrop ball field
Local co-ed teams play softball on snowshoes, in costume, on the town ball field. Exactly as good as it sounds.
DetailsMarch 5 to 7, 2027 · Winthrop
Thirtieth annual. Twenty plus hot air balloons lifting off over the valley at dawn. Free to watch, rides available.
DetailsPicking your week
Two quirks of the 2026/27 calendar are worth knowing before you choose dates.
November 25 to 29, 2026
Christmas at the End of the Road lands on Thanksgiving weekend this year.
December 25, 2026 to January 3, 2027
Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on a Friday, which fuses the two holidays into one continuous ten night stretch.
January 15 to 18, 2027
Three day weekend, reliable mid winter grooming.
February 13 to 21, 2027
Presidents Day is Monday February 15 and Seattle Public Schools mid winter break runs February 16 to 19, which gives Seattle families a nine day window. The strongest family week of the season.
Rates
Direct booking rates per night. Friday and Saturday nights price at the weekend rate. Seven nights or more earns the weekly discount on top.
| Window | Dates | Min nights | House (3BR) | Apartment (1BR) | Retreat (4BR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Late Fall Shoulder Shoulder | Oct 15 to Nov 24, 2026 | 2 | $604 / $714 wknd | $186 / $208 wknd | $695 / $811 wknd |
| Thanksgiving and Christmas at the End of the Road Peak | Nov 25 to Nov 29, 2026 | 3 | $934 / $989 wknd | $292 / $314 wknd | $1,164 / $1,238 wknd |
| Early Ski Season Core season | Nov 30 to Dec 17, 2026 | 2 | $714 / $824 wknd | $219 / $252 wknd | $849 / $979 wknd |
| Pre-Christmas Week Core season | Dec 18 to Dec 24, 2026 | 2 | $824 / $934 wknd | $252 / $285 wknd | $979 / $1,109 wknd |
| Christmas and New Year Corridor Holiday | Dec 25, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027 | 4 | $1,205 | $380 | $1,552 |
| January Core Ski Core season | Jan 4 to Feb 12, 2027 | 2 | $747 / $934 wknd | $230 / $285 wknd | $889 / $1,109 wknd |
| MLK Weekend Peak | Jan 15 to Jan 18, 2027 | 3 | $989 / $1,044 wknd | $314 / $336 wknd | $1,238 / $1,310 wknd |
| Presidents Day and Seattle Mid-Winter Break Peak | Feb 13 to Feb 21, 2027 | 3 | $1,044 / $1,099 wknd | $329 / $351 wknd | $1,305 / $1,377 wknd |
| Late Winter Ski Core season | Feb 22 to Mar 15, 2027 | 2 | $747 / $934 wknd | $230 / $285 wknd | $889 / $1,109 wknd |
| Winthrop Balloon Roundup Peak | Mar 5 to Mar 7, 2027 | 2 | $934 / $989 wknd | $292 / $314 wknd | $1,164 / $1,238 wknd |
| Spring Shoulder Shoulder | Mar 16 to Apr 30, 2027 | 2 | $604 / $714 wknd | $186 / $208 wknd | $695 / $811 wknd |
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are. We will tell you which of the three configurations actually fits, which is not always the biggest one.