Snoqualmie Pass is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It includes the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

of Hyak. The population was 311 at the 2010 census. The CDP is named for the

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

that carries

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

across the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

, which itself is named for the Snoqualmie tribe, a Native American tribe indigenous to the Snoqualmie Valley located west of the pass. The portion of the mountain pass west of the height of land, in King County, is not part of the Snoqualmie Pass CDP. Based on

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

, Snoqualmie Pass ranks 8th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. It is also the highest rank achieved in Kittitas County.

Recreation

The area consists of mountain chalets and condominiums that are mainly seasonally occupied by residents of the

Seattle metropolitan area The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding Satellite city, satellites and suburbs. The United States Census Bureau defines the Seattle–T ...

, with approximately 300 year-round residents. Winter sports are the main draw, but outdoor recreation is available year-round. The

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

crosses through Snoqualmie Pass, and a variety of other trails are also available for hiking and climbing in the summer and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

and

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

ing in the winter. Snoqualmie Pass is the site of the Summit at Snoqualmie, a group of

alpine ski ''Alpine Ski'' (アルパイン・スキ一) is an alpine skiing arcade video game released by Taito in 1981. The player controls a skier on a vertically scrolling video game, vertically scrolling course who can move left, right, or increase for ...

areas managed by Boyne USA Resorts. The Summit consists of four ski areas: Alpental, Summit West (formerly named Snoqualmie Summit), Summit Central (formerly Ski Acres), and Summit East (formerly Hyak). The Summit at Snoqualmie is the closest ski area to Seattle, so it is often crowded on weekends.

Iron Horse State Park The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and the Iron Horse Trail, is a rail trail that spans most of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It follows the former railway roadbed of the ...

in Hyak offers groomed cross-country ski trails, sledding and snowshoeing in winter and hiking and a gravel railroad bed for hiking and bicycling in the summer.

Snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

just east of the pass is also popular during the winter months. Also in the summer and fall, paragliders and hang gliders may be seen flying above the valley, along the ridge and landing at Lake Keechelus.

Geography

The community is in westernmost Kittitas County, on the east side of Snoqualmie Pass. Its western border follows the King County border, which is also the height of land of the

. The CDP extends southeast as far as Keechelus Lake, the source of the Yakima River. The unincorporated community of Hyak is in the southeast part of the CDP.

passes through the community, with access from Exits 53 and 54. I-90 leads west to Seattle and southeast the same distance to Ellensburg, the Kittitas

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. Washington State Route 906 serves as a local main road through the Snoqualmie Pass community, connecting with I-90 at both of its exits. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the Snoqualmie Pass CDP has a total area of , all of it land. Situated at a main crossing point of the

, Snoqualmie Pass is located along the Mountains to Sound Greenway, which spans parts of King and Kittitas counties. The eastern portal of the

Snoqualmie Tunnel The Snoqualmie Tunnel is a former Rail Transport, railroad tunnel near Snoqualmie Pass in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located east of Seattle. The tunnel crosses the Cascade Range about south of the pass, which is used by ...

is in the CDP at Hyak.

Climate

Due to its elevation, Snoqualmie Pass experiences significantly lower temperatures than Seattle, and receives much more precipitation, much of it being snow. Snoqualmie Pass has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Koppen: Dsb bordering Csb) with cold, very wet and snowy winters, and mild to warm, relatively dry summers.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 201 people, 88 households, and 60 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 70.1 people per square mile (27.0/km²). There were 330 housing units at an average density of 115.0/sq mi (44.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.03%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.00% Asian, 1.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 4.98% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population. There were 88 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 2.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.68. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 18.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 37.3% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $81,883, and the median income for a family was $89,532. Males had a median income of $50,417 versus $26,875 for females. The

for the CDP was $54,316. None of the families and 1.9% of the population were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Kittitas County, Washington Census-designated places in Washington (state) Populated places on the Yakima River Washington (state) placenames of Native American origin