Basin still a jewel in winter
<p>A bluebird view of the Jewel Basin ridge, looking southeast toward Mount Aeneas in center frame. The area is popular with skiers and snowmobilers. Trekking to this point, Peak 6437, from Jewel Basin Road by snowshoe took approximately three hours. (Seaborn Larson/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
Jewel Basin is one of the most accessible day hiking and camping areas near the Flathead Valley during summer months.
During the winter, access is still available, but getting there is a little more challenging since the 7-mile-long road to the parking area is not plowed.
The area is a honeycomb of ridge lines and bowls, accessed in the winter mostly by those on snowmobiles and alpine touring setups.
Each run is soft or crispy, depending on what direction the slope is facing. Some runs are gradual; some are steep. Almost all runs can lead into some waist-deep snow.
Snowshoeing in from the base of Jewel Basin Road took three hours on Saturday (the trip was much shorter for those with snowmobiles). Given the circumstances of time and sunlight, the hike in compelled me to find ski lines in Noisy Basin, the bowl on the western edge of Jewel Basin.
Most of the hike up was obscured by the cloudy inversion blanketing the valley floor. Once above the clouds, however, the view opened up and the terrain on the west side of the Jewel was in high definition beneath a bluebird sky.
The U.S. Forest Service parking lot had been transformed from a 30-vehicle lot to a 15-snowmobile parking area. Snowmobiles are not allowed in the Jewel Basin Hiking Area.
From there, 360-degree views of potential ski lines surround the parking lot. It’s a short 45-minute ascent to Peak 6437, the highest point on Noisy Basin’s western ridge, where skiers can drop back toward the parking lot or west toward Jewel Basin Road. The skin trail leading to 6437 was well packed by skiers during the last week since the last big snow.
The descent into the basin through a wide powder field and a few trees was short but thrilling.
The ride down Jewel Basin Road is like a gift of scenery after burning your legs to get up the road. The entire trek took about eight hours, three sandwiches and less than a quarter tank of gas to reach the road from Kalispell.
Remember to bring all the essential equipment to play in the winter backcountry, particularly an avalanche beacon, a shovel and probe.
Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.