Hyak, Washington — Snow Went From Problem to Business Model

Hyak sits beside Snoqualmie Pass where transportation and winter recreation keep reusing the same difficult terrain.

The Milwaukee Road bored a tunnel beneath the Cascades and established facilities near Hyak. Deep snow was initially an operating problem for trains.

Eventually somebody found a more enjoyable use for it.

Skiing developed around the pass, and Hyak became part of what is now The Summit at Snoqualmie.

Interstate 90 replaced the railroad as the dominant transportation route, but the old Milwaukee tunnel survived.

The abandoned grade became part of the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, and cyclists now travel through a mountain passage built for trains.

Hyak still exists because people want to cross—or deliberately play in—the same snowy mountains.