Hike Cathedral Rock and Mount Daniel

Ronald, Washington

5.0/5
based on 2 reviews

Details

Distance

11.5 miles

Elevation Gain

2300 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Colin Ayers

Take in breathtaking vistas of Circle, Venus, Spade, Peasoup, and Deep Lake. Camp at Peggy's Pond at the base of Daniel and Cathedral.

Hike easy switchbacks for almost 2 miles until the trail junction at elevation 4400 feet, then veer right onto trail #1345 toward Squaw Lake and Cathedral Rock. Pass by Squaw Lake on your left (a great place to take a short swim on a hot day) and stay on the trail until you reach another junction at 5600 feet, the top of Cathedral Pass. Take in the views of Cathedral Rock, Mount Daniel, and Mount Hinman, and stay on the trail heading towards the towering Cathedral. Traverse left and slightly down on the trail toward Deep Lake, but before you descend too far, the trail to Peggy's breaks off at a set of switchbacks. Follow the somewhat sketchy boot path along the base of Cathedral for about a mile until you get to Peggy's Pond, passing by multiple smaller ponds along the way. This is a great place to spend the night, do some fishing, and enjoy the views all around.

From Peggy's Pond you can choose to continue along the southern face of Daniel to Circle Lake and do an incredible counterclockwise loop through Venus, Spade, Waptus, and Deep Lakes and back up Cathedral Pass, or you can attempt to summit Mount Daniel as a day hike. This is where the official trail ends, but there are still some faint, but still discernable paths to the top of the southeast ridge.

Once at the top, the breathtaking views of multiple lakes below and peaks on the horizon will propel you to the summit. Ascend up the ridge with Hyas Glacier on the right and Circle Lake below on the left, and follow the faint trail through some Class 2 and 3 scrambles up to the saddle below the East Summit of Daniel. Look for a medium sized cairn to mark your way and move left off the ridge to traverse across the scree southwest of the East Summit, the trail here becoming clear once directly below the East Summit. Follow this trail toward the ridge protruding from the Middle Summit and climb up the scree to reach the top of this ridge. The Middle Summit sits directly to the north, and West Summit (true summit) to the northwest. Turn left below the Middle Summit and make a short Class 2 scramble to the true West Summit of Mount Daniel, at 7959 ft.

Enjoy views of Spade, Venus, Pea Soup, and Circle Lakes below, and Mt Rainier, Mt Stuart, Cashmere Peak, Glacier Peak and more on the horizon. Make your mark in the history of the Summit Log, and descend by retracing the route of your climb.

Getting there: From Roslyn, head North on Salmon La Sac road for about 15 miles, then veer right onto Forest Service Rd 4330 for an additional 10 miles until you get to Tucquala Meadows Campground, where Trail Creek Trail #1322 takes off.

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Features

Rock Climbing
Photography
Swimming
Hiking
Beach
Forest
Lake
River
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife
Waterfalls

Hike Cathedral Rock and Mount Daniel Reviews

Great hike that gives you multiple options for day hikes. The ONLY drawback if you’re going early in the season: some of the biggest mosquitos I’ve ever seen. They are relentless.

We camped high on Daniel and got 4k feet of skiing in, in July! There is a spot you can bivy 200ft below the east peak and 2 people were even bivied on the Summit of the east peak. Wouldn't want to be up there on a windy day though...

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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