A VFR PIPER CHEROKEE PLT APPROACHING JNU ENCOUNTERED A SNOW STORM; AND ENTERED IMC WHILE ATTEMPTING TO AVOID THE WX AND EXECUTE A DIVERSION. ULTIMATELY HE CONTINUED TO JNU VFR.

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ON A ROUTINE FLT BACK FROM PETERSBURG TO JUNEAU; I ENCOUNTERED AN AREA OF REDUCED VISIBILITY ABOUT 25 MI FROM THE ARPT; THE FLT UP STEVENS PASSAGE CONSISTED OF LOW CEILINGS BUT GOOD VISIBILITY. WHEN I ROUNDED THE CORNER AT POINT ARDEN I ENCOUNTERED A HEAVY SNOW STORM. REALIZING; THAT FOR THE SAFETY OF THE FLIGHT; I SHOULD NOT CONTINUE; I TURNED AROUND. IN MY TURN; THE VISIBILITY WENT BELOW VFR CONDITIONS. I FLEW BACK TO AN AREA OF KNOWN VFR CONDITIONS AND FLEW ACROSS THE CHANNEL TO TRY THE EAST SIDE BEFORE I WOULD RETURN TO PETERSBURG. THE EAST SIDE DIDN'T PROVE ANY BETTER; SO; FOR THE SAFETY OF THE FLT I DECIDED TO RETURN TO PETERSBURG. ON THE RETURN DOWN STEVENS PASSAGE; THE STORM HAD MOVED IN BEHIND US AND HAD TO EXECUTE ANOTHER TURN TO VFR CONDITIONS. ON THIS TURN MY GPS WENT OUT AND I BECAME DISORIENTED; ROLLING OUT OF THE TURN AT A POINT THAT I THOUGHT WAS 180 DEGREES. THE GPS CAME BACK ON TO SHOW I HAD OVER TURNED AND WAS HEADING STRAIGHT FOR A MOUNTAIN SIDE. I MADE A TURN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND PICKED UP THE SHORELINE ON THE OTHER SIDE. AT THIS POINT I DIDN'T THINK WE HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO GET TO PETERSBURG; AND FOR THE SAFETY OF THE FLT DECIDED TO REDUCE MY ALT; KEEP MY WINGS LEVEL AND FLY THROUGH THE SNOW. WHEN WE GOT TO WHERE THE STORM HAD BEEN; THE VISIBILITY WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO GET BACK TO JUNEAU. THE WX CONDITIONS OF THE FLT HAD ME BELOW BASIC VFR WX MINIMUMS ONLY TO ASSURE A SAFE OUTLOOK OF THE FLT.