Backcountry Skiing

For overnight cross-country skiing (17 miles of ski trails), snowshoeing, and snowboarding, plus some of the finest Telemark skiing in the high Cascades, stay in rustic luxury at Scottish Lakes Backcountry Cabins (509/884-2000 or 800/909-9916, www.scottishlakes.com [1], $40 d). Eight cozy cabins come equipped with woodstoves, mattresses, propane stoves, kerosene lamps, and cooking utensils. From the parking area near Coles Corner (16 miles northwest of Leavenworth [2]), the cabins are 8.5 miles away and 3,000 feet higher in elevation.

Most folks choose to ride up and back aboard the lodging’s 12-passenger Sno-Cat or snowmobile, but they will haul your gear (extra charge) if you have the energy to ski up and back yourself.

The cabins are on private timber company land adjacent to 5,000-foot McCue Ridge in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness [3] and are generally open Thanksgiving through April, plus mid-October to mid-November for fall hikers. These cabins are recommended.