Pasayten Wilderness, Washington

Please consult with the Forest Service for current road and trail conditions, especially of your are planning a trip on the fringes of the season, i.e. early spring and late fall, as conditions may change without notice and this trail is a long ways from anywhere. When planning a trip to Horsesho...

We started our adventure at the Iron Gate Trailhead. The trail to begin with was pretty flat for about a mile and then begins to ascend higher and higher making for a bit of a workout. You walk through forests with hints of aspen trees and wildflowers, after that it changes to walking through a v...

The trail to West Oval Lake begins at the Eagle Creek Trailhead, outside of Twisp, Washington. Follow the Eagle Creek trail for 1.9 miles until the trail splits. Take the left fork for Oval Creek and Oval Lakes. The trail continues winding through thick forest for approximately 4 more miles befor...

To get to Sahale Peak, drive to Marblemount, WA and continue on the Cascade River Road (Forest Road 15) for 23.5 miles. The road ends at the Cascade Pass trailhead, where the climb begins.The first part of the climb follows the Cascade Pass trail for 3.5 miles and 1,800 feet. Cascade Pass makes a...

Starting at 3,640 feet elevation, the Cascade Pass Trailhead begins adjacent to the Johannesburg Camp and proceeds east along a relentless series of switchbacks. Though the trail is consumed by a thick Washington evergreen forest, the switchbacks frequently open to sweeping vistas of the far-reac...

As an initial note, to spend an overnight at Sahale Glacier Camp, you need to obtain a permit at the North Cascades Ranger Station in Marblemount, Washington. Permits are limited, so get there early or call in advance. To start, go to Marblemount, WA and then drive ~23 miles east on Cascade Rive...

The Picket Range is a remote and rugged subrange of Washington's North Cascades. It draws very few visitors per year, and the odds of seeing another human on your adventure are very low. West McMillan Spire is an 8,000' peak located in the Southern Pickets. It is a Class 3 climb involving bot...

Standing on the knife edge summit, the terrain around you plummets steeply into glacier-filled basins that trickle into turquoise alpine lakes. Serrated snowy peaks give way to forest covered valleys below that craft a rugged landscape. Eldorado Peak delivers you atop this wild and mountainous wo...

To get to your campground or to Trappers Peak, hike roughly five miles along the trail to ridge, where the trail divides. If you head left you'll go down into lake basis where you can drop your gear. Come back to the divide and head right, which will lead you up to trappers peak. Something to ke...

North Cascade National Park is home to some of the most rugged and remote mountains in the lower 48 states. Because of this, the area is rarely seen up close and personal in the winter, but there are a few spots where you can see these wild mountains that will defy all imagination. In terms of lo...

Be careful when heading up this 4.5 mile trail since there can be snow coverage into the summer. When you start the trail, you'll get a little tree coverage as you start climbing up. Unfortunately, the shade starts to dissipate after about a mile, where you'll cross over Sibley Creek and enter th...

Beginning about 7 miles down the Cascade River Road from Marblemount, the Lookout Mountain Lookout trailhead is on the north side of the road with parking for about 4-5 cars. With about 4500' elevation gain in 4.7 miles, this hike is definitely a thigh burner. The trail begins with a steep climb...

Porcupine Peak (also known as Goat Peak) is a little known trail that begins beside the popular Lindeman and Greendrop Lakes trailhead. The hike is tough, going straight uphill for a significant portion, with some ups and downs right before reaching the peak.  The trailhead is a bit tricky to fin...

The drive up to the starting point of the trail to Anderson and Watson Lake was easy, but at the end it gets a little tricky - the service road is sharp gravel and runs for about 10 miles to the trailhead. Some spots are steep and there are large potholes, but slow and steady wins the race. There...

Winchester Mountain is said to have the greatest reward for least amount of effort in all the North Cascades. One of the last fire-lookouts in the region stands on the summit. Views from the summit of Winchester Mountain are beautiful and dramatic to say the least. Being one of the easiest hikes...

Despite this trip report being titled "to Winchester Mountain", the fun doesn’t stop there. Even though Winchester Mountain is the most popular summer hike departing from Twin Lakes, this whole area turns into a fun-zone during the winter.Upon reaching higher ground above the lakes, this zone off...