Tronsen Meadow-East Loop

The Tronsen Meadow non-motorized area makes up an impressive complex of well-marked and non-motorized backcountry snowshoe and cross-country trails immediately adjacent to Blewett Pass. They connect to the larger system of trails that form a web on the south side of Highway 97, but they are best accessed from Upper Tronson Road (the spelling variations are inexplicable), just past the Blewett Pass Sno-Park.

As with the rest of the Blewett Pass, the Tronsen Meadow area is primarily home to dense conifer forest, including Douglas fir and ponderosa-dominated groves. This cover is interrupted by both the titular meadow that is crisscrossed by singletrack and the aftermath of the pass's 2012 fire, which blackened large stands of the evergreens. (The browned trees you can find scattered throughout the region are the handiwork of the western spruce budworm.) The combination provides for constant novelty, and the excellent trail work makes for an unusual combination of easy access and an isolated backcountry feel away from the highway.

There are many, many possible routes through this area if you start stringing together connector trails. This route begins with the East Loop Trail, continues onto a portion of the Tronsen Loop Trail, and then cuts back to the trailhead on the Tronsen Meadow Trail.

Beginning from the Upper Tronsen Road parking area (the space is regularly plowed, but the main Blewett Pass Sno-Park is just on the other side of the pass if necessary), continue straight up NF-7240 (Upper Tronson Road). To join the East Loop, turn left at the first trail junction. This loop begins as a narrow, winding ski trail, passing through a burn and offering occasional glimpses of nearby Diamond Head. Turn right as the trail joins the fire road, and right again onto NF-7230 when you reach the vehicle gate. The road climbs slowly for 1.5 miles until the marked shortcut to the Tronsen Loop. The signs can be difficult to find after the initial blue diamond, but the trail simply descends along the fall line of the draw until it rejoins NF-7240 (the Tronsen Loop Trail). Turn left, heading uphill again. There are many potential turnoffs along this road: several head higher into the hills, while Tronsen Loop itself curves back around to the trailhead. The turnoff into Tronsen Meadow drops through the airy clearing, intersecting several more potential turnoffs and guiding you over a small footbridge back to where you began the loop.