Dr. Dirtbag. Skip to content. Weather Averages . I'm planning a trip somewhere outside of Seattle at the end of July and Glacier Peak wilderness is at the top of my list. Glacier Peak Wilderness trek. Late Summer Backpacking at Fontanillis Lake in the Desolation Wilderness . Late Summer Backpacking at Fontanillis Lake in the Desolation Wilderness . Latest Trip Reports. Join us on this wonderful 7-day trip around Glacier Peak Wilderness from Phelps Creek through Spider Meadows and up Spider Gap, Lyman and Image Lakes, Cloudy and Suiattle Passes, Miners Ridge and Meadows, Miners Fire Lookout, Sheep Camp, and Buck Creek Pass. Good route finding skills and a positive attitude are a must ). Trip Overview: The ~40 mile Spider Gap - Buck Creek Pass backpacking loop sits within a beautiful section of Glacier Peak Wilderness in the northern Cascade Mountains of Washington state. Pemi is short for Pemigewasset, the wilderness area this terrain covers. Hannegan Peak- Supreme views of snow and ice—and that's the truth, Ruth! White Mountain is a peak located in Glacier Peak Wilderness, on the border of Snohomish County and Chelan County in Washington. The trip up and through Spider Gap and down to the Lyman Lake Basin is one of my favorite trips… ever! Backpacking the Spider Gap to Buck Creek Pass Loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness is no easy task, but yields some of the most spectacular views found in Washington. The loop is approximately 30 miles around, traverses eight 4,000 footers and includes over 9,000 feet of elevation gain. We were greeted by the massive lonely mountains of Glacier Peak Wilderness. Plan for at least four days in order to stay fresh and to allow for extra time to soak in the Cascadian beauty that assaults your senses every step of the way. One of the more popular treks in Glacier Peak Wilderness is the Spider Meadows - Buck Creek Pass Loop. Sloan Peak, the Matterhorn of the Cascades, is the tallest massif in the Monte Cristo area by Bedal Peak.Its near-4000′ prominence puts the closest higher peak ten miles away on Sitkum Spire of Glacier Peak.Of the various routes, Corkscrew via Sloan Glacier is the most common. Share what you know about this area! I've returned several times since to backpack and climb, but the five-day, 44-mile Spider Gap-Buck Creek Pass Loop really stands out for its scenery and adventure, as you'll see in this photo gallery. I am getting ready to backpack the Devil's Dome Loop in the Pasayten Wilderness and here is how I used Topo Maps+ to plan this trip. No we didn't climb it, but we did spend 5 days at the end of July . The Pilot Ridge Loop brings you right into the heart of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, one of the most remote areas in the Cascades, and featuring more active glaciers than anywhere else in the Lower 48. this peak goes unnoticed by much of the people of the northwest due to it being so far in the crest of the cascades, its distance from the nearest town, and the fact that its access roads have been washed out making all the approaches to its base a long hike in. I started a 5-day turned 4-day backpacking loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness at the Phelps Creek Trailhead on Sept. 2. Alpine Works. The goal was to see as much nature as I could within a 50 mile range, stopping at Spider Meadow, Lyman Lake, Image Lake and High Pass before ending at Little Giant Trailhead. Trip Reports on Highway 2 and Glacier Peak Wilderness. Category Archives: Glacier Peak Wilderness. When you select a . The Glacier Peak is a 566,057-acre wilderness in the Cascade Range that shares a border with North Cascades National Park, Stephen Mather Wilderness, and the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness. If you have read many of my posts, you will understand I have a strong, strange fascination with the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Share what you know about this area! Visiting the Glacier Peak Wilderness is done exclusively on foot or horseback. Stehekin, WA. Visiting the 566,430-acre Glacier Peak Wilderness is a remote experience no matter how you approach it. The High Divide - Seven Lakes Basin Loop has a number of excellent campsites and limited entry quotas each day to help prevent overcrowding. Destinations include Spider Meadows, Spider Gap, Lyman Lakes, Cloudy Pass, Suiattle Pass, Image Lake, Miner's Ridge, Buck Creek Pass and 3.6 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Distance: 17 miles (27.4km) one way; Elevation Gain: 1,900 feet (579m) Difficulty: Moderate; Numb Glacier Peak. The snow has long since melted, the days are still long and warm, and the bugs usually have declined . Day 1 (11.2 miles): Beginning at the trailhead at the end of Phelps . Some trailheads require a valid recreation pass. I tried . This route combines the best of Yosemite: Glacier Point, Half Dome, Nevada Falls, and the Mist Trail, in 2 days of backpacking. Glacier Peak Wilderness is a 566,057-acre (229,075 ha), 35-mile-long (56 km), 20-mile-wide (32 km) wilderness area located within portions of Chelan, Snohomish, and Skagit counties in the North Cascades of Washington. This book is THE guide to off trail routes in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, and would be well worth the $59 the seller is asking, IMO. We quickly reached the . 4. According to maps and other hikers, our descent would be about 8-9 miles, instead of the six miles we had come up. I think a loop would probably be the best just so I can see as much as possible. The trail paralleled the north fork of the Sauk and led into forests of old-growth cedar, with forest floor covered in Skunk Cabbage and Devil's Club. My mind and body definitely appreciated the break. glacier peak can be seen from many locations along the mountain loop highway, north … The best part is that it will never get crowded because all access points require a 10 mile minimum hike and that's . I'm looking for a 30-40 mile hike to do in 3 days or so. I was so enamored with the Glacier Peak Wilderness after last year's overnight to Miner's Ridge lookout that I couldn't wait to get back, so I spent three days last weekend backpacking the White Pass/Pilot Ridge loop on Glacier's south side. After about .5 miles the firebreak levels off and becomes a trail with mature forest as it enters the Glacier Peak Wilderness. The Naches Peak Loop Trail and Pacific Crest Trail form a 3.75 mile loop from Tipsoo Lake along the Mount Rainier - William Douglas Wilderness boundary. Near Darrington, the trail can be accessed by hiking up one of two old growth valleys. Glacier Peak, elevation 10,541 feet is the fourth-highest mountain in Washington and the most remote of the state's five active volcanoes. You can find anything from steep couloirs to some of the best tree skiing if you can find a parking spot. Ellie Greenwood, Trail Running Tales. 284 Miles 457 Kilometers of Trail 2 Recommended Routes 4 Easy Trails ; 17 Intermediate Trails ; 22 Difficult Trails ; Hiking Project is built by hikers like you. If you decide to buy it, be sure it includes the map set, which has most possible routes indicated. I also summitted GP while I was there and saw this area as well as many others and I can't wait to go back. Category Archives: Glacier Peak Wilderness. Fontanillis Lake in the . 412 Miles 663 Kilometers of Trail 1 Recommended Route 1 Gem ; 5 Easy Trails ; 16 Intermediate Trails ; 31 Difficult Trails ; Hiking Project is built by hikers like you. Together, these Wilderness areas provide permanent protection to vast spans of old-growth forest and safeguard iconic Washington summits like Mount Baker, Sloan Peak, Glacier Peak, Mount Pugh, Twin Sisters, Hannegan Peak, and Mount Larrabee. Within this area, you'll see almost no human structures besides trails and the occasional fire lookout. Glacier Peak Wilderness Hiking. Quickly decided instead to head to Glacier Peak Wilderness. I've also included some ski tours off of Mountain Loops Highway for additional . The area lies within parts of Wenatchee National Forest and Mount Baker National Forest and is characterized by heavily forested stream courses, steep-sided valleys, and dramatic . Hiking above tree line and camping at small alpine lakes with opportunities to bag some peaks are some of the things I'm looking . 5h 32m Hike to a historical fire lookout at the top of Green Mountain in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Because the area is primarily roadless, access is practically limited to serious backcountry users. Log crossing. Yosemite. The mountain itself was formed some one million years ago during the Pleistocene epoch, so as geologic time goes, it . To do this I select the trails on the map and then change the end points on the map to find out how long and how much elevation that section will be. A story with photos and images about backpacking the Spider Gap-Buck Creek Pass Loop in Washington's Glacier Peak Wilderness. A Strenuous Yosemite Trio: Four Mile Trail + Panorama Trail + Half Dome. Brad and Surafel through meadows with the Monte Cristos and Sloan in the back . Plus an alternate trail back to the car would result in a loop and who doesn't love a good loop? I was up there just after Labor Day weekend one year and there was still some water. We begin our . Along the way, you'll see massive wildflower meadows, glaciers, alpine lakes, high mountain passes and supreme views of Glacier Peak. Log crossing. Usually done as a backpack, there are a few different . Road Mileages. . Join/Upgrade; My Account; My Downloads ; The Big Outside America's Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures Menu. This trip went from like 5/10 to -2/10 to 3/10 to 10/10 all in one day. Backpacking Spider Gap and the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Washingtonians and outdoor enthusiasts are very lucky to have this area protected. The traditional loop is about 29 miles, but I added a few bonus peaks and side trips for a grand total of 41.5 miles and 11.5k feet of climbing. First I break the trip up into which trails we will hike each day. Chiwawa, Plummer, Sitting Bull, Sinister, Gunsight, Cloudy and North Star Mountain with the biggest boy of the show (Bonanza) off camera right. By the 1790s, Mounts Baker, Rainier and St. Helens were . Glacier Peak Wilderness hard (3) Length: 20.7 mi • Est. From . This was my second attempt. Containing over . Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest: Darrington Ranger District -- (360 . Started at the . WA's Finest Backpacking Loop. It continues traversing Scar Pass joining up with the Circle Peak Trail #638.1 2.5 miles. Bonanza Peak the Crown of the North Cascades Bonanza Peak is the biggest non volcanic mountain within the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. However, it can reasonable be argued that in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, the Pacific Crest Trail, PCT, exemplifies truest expression of a mountain footpath and is one of the most remote and stunning sections of the trail. A vast and remote stretch of wilderness located in the northern Cascade mountains, with Glacier Peak as its center jewel. A story with photos and images about backpacking the Spider Gap-Buck Creek Pass Loop in Washington's Glacier Peak Wilderness. Contact for more information: Chelan Ranger District -- (509) 682-4900; Wenatchee River Ranger District -- (509) 548-2550; West side of Wilderness on Mt. Glacier Peak 100+, Glacier Peak Wilderness. This trail goes by Phelps Creek Trailhead. Normally, you start by ascending the Sulfur Mountain trail from the end of the Suiattle River Road, but . Use caution and be prepared for mountain road travel. Fernow and Seven Fingered Jack. In this protected wilderness area you will find countless U-shaped river valleys carved by ancient glaciers. Labor Day weekend is usually one of my favorite weekends to head out into the depths of the backcountry. Glacier peak is behind those clouds somewhere! Some of the best hiking in the entire Glacier Peak Wilderness with in-your-face views of Glacier Peak and ample opportunities to wander to Liberty Cap, Flower Dome, High Pass, and up to the flanks of Glacier Peak itself. Starts off gradually climbing through an old growth forest before breaking out into huge green slopes in the summer. The Glacier Peak Wilderness Our 37 mile loop hike will take place in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of Washington State. before driving the Mountain Loop and other National Forest roads. Routes For Each Day . Skykomish, WA. Last look back at the big boys who have been watching over us the whole trip. Located near the head of . Fontanillis Lake in the . It goes without saying, but recreation opportunities are endless in Baker-Snoqualmie. The Spider Gap - Buck Creek Pass Loop penetrates some of the most glorious country of the Glacier Peak Wilderness. The most prominent landmark of the wilderness is, predictably, Glacier Peak. This video represents a 90+ mile circumnavigation of Glacier Peak, of which ~ 15 miles were XC. Quick Facts: Location: North Cascades Mount Baker Wilderness Land Agency: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Roundtrip: 10.4 miles Elevation gain: 3,100 feet Green Trails Map: Mount Baker Wilderness 13SX Contact: Glacier Public Service Center or Mount Baker Ranger District: Mount . 1.0 mile Lake 22 TH 2.0 miles Big Four 14.5 miles Barlow Pass 19.5 miles Bedal CG 27.5 miles Darrington 55.0 miles Some blogs I read . It has a bit of everything: the virgin little Alaskan Valley (Napeequa), grand single track around High Pass, old growth in the Suiattle, a . More info: nps.gov. An extensive trail system allows many long and short trips into the through the area . Our route through the wilderness will take us through both the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests. Public Tracks hilen.drew 2 years, 3 months ago We took one wrong turn up on Middle Ridge, but got to see a beautiful basin at the top and the bushwhack down was . I had planned a loop of about 47 miles around the ridges just southwest of Glacier Peak. October 7, 2021 | 0 Comments. Spider Gap-Buck Creek Pass loop, Glacier Peak Wilderness Last weekend was so good that another Sunday weather window had me craving more of the same. Years ago, I "discovered" the Spider Gap to Buck Creek Pass loop and had wanted to backpack it with . This is the Spider Gap Meadows/Buck Creek Pass Loop, which is 44mi out in the Glacier Peak Wilderness area. The Glacier Peak circumnavigatio. No permits necessary, and there are a ton of side trips to extend it if you wanted to. Jan 16, 2016 - A story with photos and images about backpacking the Spider Gap-Buck Creek Pass Loop in Washington's Glacier Peak Wilderness.