Big Four Ice Caves
Last modified
Oct 25, 2009 07:08 PM
Contributors:
courtenay, Big Pants Trekkers
Hikers have been marveling at these frozen spectacles of nature for over a century. Reached by one of the most manicured trails in the Cascades, Big Four's famed ice caves can be enjoyed by hikers of all walks. Formed from cascading water and warm winds hollowing out heaps of avalanche-deposited snow, the caves usually appear by midsummer. Recent Trip Reports
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105
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Big Four Ice Caves
— Nov 15, 2009
— Suzka
Snowshoe/XC Ski
Issues:
Snow on trail
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The Mountain Loop Highway out of Verlot was clear. About four inches of snow covered the closed parking area. I...
The Mountain Loop Highway out of Verlot was clear. About four inches of snow covered the closed parking area. I put on my snowshoes out past the trailhead tho closer to the Stilaguamish River the trail was bare. Past the river snow to the ice caves.
Lovely for a first outing of the year!!
Big Four Ice Caves
— Nov 08, 2009
— Dylan
Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Washouts | Water on trail | Snow on trail
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Originally started the day planning to go to Mt. Pilchuck but decided to go where the snow was and boy...
Originally started the day planning to go to Mt. Pilchuck but decided to go where the snow was and boy were we pleasantly surprised. Although I have not been here during the summer, there is something to be said about the fresh snow covered trails and the clouds gracing the mountains.
The trails were very wet but given all the wooden/bridged paths it is not too bad. But the plus side to all the water is there were dozens of waterfalls that ordinarily would not have been there. Over all a fun hike! Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes
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A perfect day for a perfect hike! This was our first time at this location. We arrived at...
A perfect day for a perfect hike! This was our first time at this location. We arrived at 10am to see only one other car in the parking lot. The trail was the best maintained and easiest I have ever been on. The new bridge is up and looks like it could survive anything the river could throw at it. Crystal clear water flowed through the various rivers and creeks that we crossed over. The climb is only a couple hundred feet which is done via easily managed switch backs toward the end of the trail. A couple spots on the trail were muddy reroutes due to the groomed trail being knocked out by tree damage last winter. But it was still very easy to traverse. The wooded trail opens up to toppled trees and a rock bed from the winter avalanches. Clearing the trail, we arrived to an amazing view of a large ice cave at the base of the Big Four Mountain. The temperature dropped from mid-60's to around 45 as we got closer to the cave. Heeding all the warnings about not getting too close, not climbing on, or into - we managed to snap some amazing pictures. We took a break on the small rise of rocks to the right of the trail end and just took in the awesome beauty of the sheer vertical rock faces and water falls. After our rest, we ventured further to the right, only to discover another group of ice caves and waterfalls. This part of the walk was all on rugged rocks. Well worth the extra walking but be sure to wear good hiking boots or shoes. Tennis shoes just won't provide the necessary support for your arches. We took our time getting back to the picnic area for a nice lunch. Being a week day (Friday), there were only a few other hikers that we met on the trail. We plan on visiting this trail again and hopefully introducing some of our friends to it.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
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Trail to ice caves is in excellent condition, suitable for children and families. The forest service did a good job...
Trail to ice caves is in excellent condition, suitable for children and families. The forest service did a good job restoring the trail and the new bridge looks great. 5 ice caves are visible with fairly large openings. Two of them towards the end of the trail have started to collapse. Remember it is dangerous to go into or near the opening of any caves since large ice blocks can break off at anytime. Here's a picture a friend took a few years ago of one collapsing, the picture shows a chunk of ice breaking off.
http://www.fitclimb.com/[…]/big-4-ice-cave-collapse?context=latest Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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Even on a hot, hot, hot, Monday, the trail was busy with families, young children, and senior citizens. The...
Even on a hot, hot, hot, Monday, the trail was busy with families, young children, and senior citizens. The trail is easy and in very nice shape. There were some brave and hardy souls continuing to work on the trail near the new metal bridge -- thank them if you see them for their efforts!
There were lots and lots of annoying, biting flies along the trail, so wear your citronella. Our dog was badly bothered by them, as they bit her big ears repeatedly. I recommend putting some citronella on dogs' ears, too, if you bring them along. There are several new, quite small ice caves in the snow field that offer sweet, cool relief from the heat, fairly blasting refrigerated air out of their mouths. There are two larger, lovely ice caves on the west side of the rocky hill in the snow field. These caves had big collapses during the three hours we were there. People (children and adults) were going inside the caves, which is beyond dangerous on a 90 degree day, even if you're just going inside the mouth. We saw columbine, lupine, bleeding hearts and lots of yellow asters at the snow field. All in all, a super day. |
Driving Directions
From Granite Falls follow the Mountain Loop Highway east for 26 miles to the trailhead, on the right (elev. 1750 ft). Privy available. You can also hike from the Big Four Picnic Area, which is 0.5 mile before (west of) the caves trailhead off of the Mountain Loop Highway. |
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