If you are looking for things to do with kids, this is the guide to end all guides. The Fire Lodge is located at Snoqualmie Pass in Washington. We’ve been playing around here with kids for years and we’ve got the inside scoop on all the fun things for kids to do up here. This is aimed at toddler to teen, so you’ll have to use your judgement based on where your kid is at!
Winter Activities
The main thing the pass is known for is the ski resort(s). The Summit at Snoqualmie is a collection of multiple ski resorts that you can use under a single ticket.
Summit West - 3 Lifts, basic & intermediate mainly
Alpental - 3 Lifts, intermediate & advanced
Summit Central - Many Lifts, good variety, most busy
Silver Fir - 1 Lift, hidden gem, good woodsy terrain
Summit East (Hyak) - 4 Lifts, hidden gem, wide variety of terrain for all levels, weekends only
Ski and Snowboard Lessons
Want to send the kids out to learn, get em lessons! There are many options to choose from.
Powder Pigs - Season Lessons, 10 weeks. Friday Night, or all day Saturday, or all day Sunday. These friday night lessons are famous, 5-7pm every Friday, kids have a blast and ski under the lights. Bonus: You still have a free weekend afterward!
Webski
Mohan - Many options, we have gone here and had a good time
Ski Masters
Private Lessons you want to hit up our friend Don over at SSCS. He has a team that can do excellent private lessons. Your kids will love them. It’s not cheap, like $250 for a session, but they can usually accommodate last-minute or special requests, and they are really excellent for all levels.
Tubing & Sledding
The Summit at Snoqualmie has a paid tubing park that is well lit, groomed, has a magic carpet (escalator), and nice tubes. This is a BLAST but you really must book way in advance, it’s usually sold out many weeks ahead, especially weekends.
Hyak Sno-Park is a free sledding hill by Washington State Parks. Its well groomed and maintained with great parking. It’s a more basic sled hill, with about 4 “chutes” and you walk back up after each run. The parking costs money unless you have a sno-park permit, but you can also walk there from the neighborhood nextdoor if you happen to be staying in the area (hint, hyakchalet.com). This is great for kids to just burn a ton of energy on their own, although you should keep a close eye, crashes and tumbles happen here and it’s easy to walk home with a bruised kid.
Snowshoeing
There really are a lot of options for getting out for a hike. This can be better for older kids that are already strong hikers, it’s quite a bit of work walking up hill in the snow. I have personally done Source Lake, it was my first time and it was an adventure at about 4 miles each way on a bunch of fresh powder. That said, these couple are pretty flat and accessible for a beginner wanting to get out and go for a walk.
Gold Creek Pond Loop - https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/gold-creek-pond
Keechelus Lake - https://www.gaiagps.com/hike/21434/keechelus-lake-via-john-wayne-pioneer-trail/
Snowmobiling
You can drive about 30 minutes east of Snoqualmie Pass and be at Cle Elum/Roslyn where you can find a couple great places to rent snowmobiles. Our favorite is The Last Resort. You can rent doubles where a kid can ride on the back, they give you all the gear and you can usually ride out directly from the rental office up the hill on nicely groomed service roads. I would wait for a clear day if possible, it’s MUCH more fun when it’s nice out vs raining/snowing. For what to wear and bring, dress just like you would for skiing, I would suggest neck and face masks, especially for the kids. Bring a rugged pack with snacks and you might be able to strap it to the back of your “sled” (snowmobile) depending on which kind you get.
Crystal Springs SnoPark - Large parking lot, lots of snowshoe, cross country, and snowmobile trails. Easy groomed trails great for beginners
Gold Creek SnoPark - Just 5 minutes from the Summit, not easy to park on a busy day, nice groomed roads to ride many miles up to the top or over to the lake on the other side
Beginner tips for snowmobiling:
If you get off the trail, expect to get stuck frequently. You’ll pick it up and move it (slowly) often to get un-stuck.
Turning around can take practice, even on the groomed road, reverse can dig in and get stuck. Practice this or be prepared to be lifting the snowmobile up and out.
The doubles are usually fairly slow compared to the other sleds.
They have heated hand grips so you can actually use a pretty light glove for mobile mobility.
Stay at The Fire Lodge
Of course we have to mention this! Hot tub, arcade, pool table, sleds, shovels for snow play, usually 15 feet of snow all around the house, and numerous smart TVs means your kids are going to have plenty to keep themselves busy! Check out the calendar.
Dining
The options are limited up there for sure! Laconia Market has great healthy options, but if you want to see a kid smile, the plate of “Ten Dollar-sized Pancakes” is the way to go. Definitely don’t go to the Pancake House for anything besides pancakes, you’ll be unpleasently surprised, but it’s a good option for just pancakes for kids. There is also pizza by the slice at Red Mountain Coffee and Pie for the People. We love Pie for the People (inside Lees Market). For a fun diner with better food 30 minutes away, Twedes Cafe is a great option too!
Summer Activities
Biking
Mountain Biking at the new Summit at Snoqualmie mountain bike park is a really fun option! They have a loop right out of Silver Fir that beginners can do without even a lift ticket, or grab a lift ticket and do some downhill. The lifted runs are generally very difficult, so I’ve heard it’s really not a great place for beginners. There are many other places to ride though, here is a list of some places we’ve taken our kids to ride bikes:
John Wayne Trail out of Hyak - Miles of flat wide trail
Snoqualmie Tunnel! - https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/iron-horse-tunnel
Summit West Parking lot and lower hill - walking distance to the Fire Lodge and a fun place to explore
Lake Easton State Park - lots of fun trails that connect to the John Wayne trail and over to Easton
Play in the water
You can find a few bodies of water to play in, Lake Easton, Lake Kachess, Lake Cle Elum, Rattlesnake Lake, etc. All have parks, boat launches, a place to splash around in.
Paddle Boarding at Lake Easton has a roped swimming area next to a nice playground, it’s a really easy place to drop a SUP (stand up paddle board) in the water and go explore. You can also hit a few other lakes in the area for this, listed above.
The Last Resort can also rent watercraft, boats, jetskis, etc. They are just a 30 minute drive east from the Fire Lodge. Check the lake conditions ahead of time, if we have low rainfall they have a short rental season for boats because of shallow water issues.
Secret rope swing and river swim - this is a secret spot that we can’t have a lot of people visiting. You head to this trailhead, and you’ll see a bridge you can walk under. The river below is a great spot to play and swim.
Hiking
There really are a lot of options for getting out for a hike. Here are a couple hikes/walks that are good for kids and just within a few minutes of the house.
Gold Creek Pond Loop - https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/gold-creek-pond
Franklin Falls - https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/franklin-falls
Keechelus Lake - https://www.gaiagps.com/hike/21434/keechelus-lake-via-john-wayne-pioneer-trail/
Tourist Attractions
Train Museum - There is a cute town 30 minutes west of the Fire Lodge called Snoqualmie. It’s got a nice little downtown with shops and restaurants, and a train museum! Have a little time to kill and want to wander around a town, this could be your ticket.
Snoqualmie Falls - The famous waterfall is just 30 mins west of Fire Lodge. Definitely worth a visit if you haven’t done it before.
Shopping at the Outlet Mall - Maybe your kid wants to visit Claires or Nike Outlet, a good place to kill some time if you get caught on a bad weather day.