Video: Huge snow pack could impact summer recreation

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SEATTLE – This winter's snowfall is going down as one of the deepest on record.

Officially, the state has almost 50 percent more snow than in a normal season, but many places have two, three, and even ten times the normal amount of snow.

Scott Pattee works for a federal agency you may never have heard of: the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

But you have heard of one thing his agency does – it keeps tabs on the depth of the snow and, more importantly, how much water that snow will leave behind when it melts.

"It's going to be year number 2 or year number 3 pretty much overall in the record books," he said.

The snow at Stevens Pass is above normal, but not by much. At a site at 4,000 feet, the snow depth is nearly 10.5 feet deep. But south of Stevens Pass and below, it's a lot deeper than normal.

"We're seeing 10 feet of snow at sites that either would have no snow or have only a foot or two of snow this time of year," he said.

Jerry Zimmerman oversees recreation for the Skykomish Ranger District. The road across the bridge runs for another two miles before it gets to the popular Dorothy Lake trailhead.

"You drive up, and bam, you're in 4 feet of snow. And this snow will probably lie in here until June," he said.

People are already calling and asking where they can go hiking, but he won't have much to offer until more of the snow melts away.

Safety is an issue. He says people often come in tennis shoes and there's also the continued threat of avalanches.