Official Name: | Hyak, Washington |
Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
Pushpin Map: | Washington#USA |
Pushpin Label: | Hyak |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | Washington |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | Kittitas |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Population As Of: | 2000 |
Timezone: | Pacific (PST) |
Utc Offset: | -8 |
Timezone Dst: | PDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
Coordinates: | 47°N -121°W |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
Postal Code: | 98068 |
Area Code: | 509 |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank Info: | [1] |
Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Blank1 Info: | [2] |
Hyak is an unincorporated community located on Snoqualmie Pass in Kittitas County, Washington. It is located within the Snoqualmie Pass CDP.
Hyak was established around 1915 at the eastern portal of the Snoqualmie Pass Milwaukee Road Railroad tunnel. Originally a train station, the community began to grow in the 1930s when the railroad built a world class ski area. Today there are approximately 200 full-time residences in Hyak and another 100 part-time.
Hyak is a Chinook Jargon word meaning "hurry", "fast", or "swift".[3]
Hyak is located 20NaN0 east of the summit of Snoqulamie Pass at an elevation of . It is northwest of Easton and is part of the Easton school district.
In 1915, Hyak replaced Laconia as the main train station on Snoqualmie Pass. Hyak had a small school house, and a post office. The Milwaukee road built a ski area at Hyak (from 1937–1950) originally known as The Snoqualmie Ski Bowl until World War II.[4] After the war, it reopened as the Milwaukee Ski Bowl so it was not to be confused by The Snoqualmie Summit ski area located two miles north. A Class-A ski jump was built in 1941 and was said to be the largest ski jump in North America. National championship events were held at Hyak from 1941 until 1949 when the lodge was lost to fire. The train station saw its last train roll across its tracks in 1981 when the Milwaukee Road Railroad sold off the line and it was decommissioned. The old line is part of the parks system called the Iron Horse State Park.
Most of the residents of Hyak work in the Seattle-Bellevue area and commute 25–50 miles. Hyak is home to the Summit East Ski Area, which is 25% of The Summit at Snoqualmie ski area.