With the winter season upon us, people of all ages are looking for the best places to indulge their love of winter sports. Perhaps one of the easiest, and least expensive of the winter sports is snow tubing. It's simple, just sit in an inner tube, push off and take a ride down the hill. The up side, or the down side of snow tubing, depending on how you look at it, is that you can't control your speed when you shoot down the hills.
Although the state of Washington is not necessarily known for its snow tubing areas, there are a number of locations fit for people of all ages to engage in the sport.
Below is a list of some of the state's most popular snow tubing locations:
Echo Valley Ski Area
1700 Cooper Gulch Road, Chelan, WA
Echo Valley is open from December until late February or early March. There are three individual snow tubing lanes.
Hours: weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. if weather permits.
Admission: $8 and kids 5 years old or younger tube for free.
Event: Echo Valley NewYear's Eve Family Night Ski & Tubing
The event includes an annual Torchlight Parade
Admission: Skiing and tubing - $10 for all ages
Tubing only - $5 for all ages
Web site: www.echovalley.org
Stevens Pass
Summit Stevens Pass, US Hwy 2, Skykomish, WA
Stevens Pass is located 78 miles east of Seattle.
Hours: December through early April Thursday through Monday 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Tues. and Wed 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Call ahead to check on snow conditions at 206-634-1645.
Admission: Special military rates are offered as follows: $15 off weekday and $10 off weekend, daily ticket window rates. Discount is available for military personnel and their immediate family only. To receive the discount, a military ID must be presented at the time of purchase.
Web site: www.stevenspass.com
Summit at Squallier
Squallier Pass, WA
Hours: Friday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., and Sundays - 9 .m. - 6 p.m.
Admission: Tube rental and two hour sessions vary in price from $5-$20 according to the age of the tube rider and the time of the session. Children under 5 are admitted free of charge.
Web site: www.summitatsnoqualmie.com
Washington State Parks
Many of the state parks have hills for snow tubing. However, to use the park hills, you must purchase a park permit.
Admission: $20 per day, $40 for a season, $40 for the special groomed trail permit.
Puffer Butte, at Fields Spring State Park, offers some of the best tubing spots in the state of Washington.
For day use it will cost about $3 per person and for an overnight stay at the lodge or a cabin the price is about $9.50 per person.
Web site: www.parks.wa.gov.
Check out these sites to purchase snow tubing equipment to use in the state park locations. Most of the ski resorts do not allow outside tubes.
Comments for "Snow Tubing " (2)
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john smith said on Dec. 21, 2009 at 7:02pm
Snoqualmie is the best. They even have a rope tow if you don't want to walk back up the hill. Lots of runs - good speed - fun day.
snow said on Oct. 26, 2010 at 12:19am
Nice post of snow tube, I am a fan of this winter activity!
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