Summary 
| Difficulty | 4 Intermediate-advanced |
| Length | 3.2 miles one-way |
| Starting Elevation |
8050 feet |
| Cumulative Elevation Change |
-1350 one-way |
| Navigation | Map and compass |
| Time | Few hours (half day if skied in reverse direction) |
| Season | December through April |
| Snowmobiles Use | Not permitted [Please report illegal use of snowmobiles in this area.] |
| USGS Topo | 7.5' series, Reading Peak |
| Start | Snow-covered Lassen Park Road at the Terrace Lake Trailhead, 8.6 miles from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. |
| End | Snow-covered Lassen Park Road at Summit Lake, 15.4 miles from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. |
Description
The Terrace Lake-Shadow Lake Cutoff is a very pleasant tour provided you enjoy skiing in dense woods and do not mind the lack of sun. The tour is over gently sloping terrain except for a couple spots in the vicinity of Terrace Lake and Shadow Lake. If time permits, you can visit Cliff Lake which is nestled up against the steep north face of Reading Peak.
The main feature of the 3.2-mile Terrace Lake-Shadow Lake Cutoff is that it shortens a tour on Lassen Park Road by 3.6 miles, a hefty savings if you are carrying a heavy pack to your basecamp at Summit Lake. If you are trying to reduce the number of miles on a trans-park tour from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center to the Manzanita Lake Ranger Station, you may also want to consider the Paradise Meadow Cutoff which cuts off even more miles than this tour. Of course, the skiing and off-road navigation is more difficult than on the road.
Skiers making a basecamp in the backcountry will also find the Terrace Lake-Shadow Lake Cutoff a useful route for creating a loop tour. Create loop tours by combining this route with Lassen Park Road, or by combining it with the Paradise Meadow Cutoff and Lassen Park Road.
The difficulty rating of this tour is based predominantly on the need to navigate with a map and compass through the dense woods which cover the entire distance. Since the tour is all downhill or all uphill, depending on the direction skied, the time necessary to complete it varies greatly.
Mileage Log
Numbers in parentheses
correspond to mileage points on map
Waypoint 1 to 2
Miles: 0.0 - 0.5
Elevation change: -350
From the Terrace Lake Trailhead (1) ski northeast and gradually turn east for a total of 0.4 mile until you reach Terrace Lake (2). The map shows the route crossing the lake; ski on the lake only if it is safe.
Waypoint 2 to 3
Miles: 0.5 - 0.6
Elevation change: -100
Ski east for 0.1 mile until you reach Shadow Lake (3). The map shows the route crossing the lake; ski on the lake only if it is safe.
Waypoint 3 to 4
Miles: 0.6 - 3.2
Elevation change: -900
Ski east and gradually turn northeast for a total of 2.6 miles until you reach Lassen Park Road (4) at Summit Lake. In this section you will cross the East Fork of Hat Creek. If you do not intersect the road exactly at Summit Lake, you must determine which way to turn in order to reach the lake.
