Mount Pilchuck
Last modified
Feb 05, 2010 06:28 PM
Rising 1 mile above the surrounding countryside and perched on the west-ern edge of the Cascades, Pilchuck packs some of the best panoramic viewing to be found in these parts. From its historical and restored fire lookout, scan the horizon-from Rainier to Baker, Glacier Peak to the Olympics, Seattle to the San Juans-and every jagged, rugged, and snow-capped peak lining the Mountain Loop Highway. One of the most popular hikes in Washington, Pilchuck is a "social mountain."Expect company and enjoy the camaraderie.
While not an overly difficult hike, scores of hikers each year end up injuring themselves or worse on this little mountain each season. Why? Its easy accessibility and proximity to the Greater Pugetopolis make it an attractive destination for ill-prepared neophytes. Snow often lingers late, making an easy hike in August potentially dangerous in June. And while the distance isn't great, parts of the trail are rocky, muddy, and slippery-not a problem for experienced hikers, but potentially troublesome for others. The hike starts on what was once a service road to ski slopes on the mountain. Skirt the base of the rapidly growing-in former ski area, entering mature forest of hemlock and yellow cedar. Hop across a small creek, and at 0.25 mile enter Mount Pilchuck State Park. Much of the mountain, as well as Pinnacle Lake, are contained within a 1900-acre Washington State Parks property. The trail is jointly managed with the U.S. Forest Service. And thanks to the Washington Trails Association and its volunteers, a good portion of it has been recently reconstructed and reinforced with solid cribbing and steps. At 0.7 mile briefly pass through a scree slope that offers a small scenic taste of what lies ahead. The trail rounds the mountain's northwest shoulder, breaks out into heather and granite gardens, and then ratchets up the climbing. The rocky summit comes into view-and so do scores of other summits. The way angles for a 4700-foot saddle between the summit and Little Pilchuck and then wraps around the mountain's south side. After a scenic traverse along the summit ridge, the trail heads back toward the summit block, ending with a boulder scramble for the final 100 feet to the attractive restored lookout. You can easily while away time in the lookout, a virtual museum with its many historical exhibits. But no doubt the outside attraction-one of the finest views in the Cascades-has captured your attention. Peer north to Three Fingers, Baker, Shuksan, and the Stillaguamish Valley and east to Glacier, Big Four, Dickerman, Index, and the Spada Reservoir. Rainier dominates the southern sky. On the western front, it's Seattle, Everett, and Puget Sound with its myriad islands and inlets, all capped off by the Olympic Mountains. What a view! Recent Trip Reports
Hiked here recently?
Submit a trip report!
There are
298
trip reports for this hike.
See all trip reports for this hike.
Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
Some had not been to the mountains for awhile so a short trip was decided on.
The four of...
Some had not been to the mountains for awhile so a short trip was decided on.
The four of us went up Pilchuck expecting to go the Winter route directly to the saddle (4900') but were surprised at the lack of snow in mid Winter. So we followed the compacted trail all the way to the top. The snow starts about 4100' and is quite slippery in many areas. Good boots and poles recommended but yak-trax or other traction devices can also help you stay upright on the trail. Going off-trail is a better option in some icy areas and approaching the top you only sink in about a foot. One large horizontal snag over the trail at about 3700'. http://www.flickr.com/[…]/ Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Snow on trail | Avalanche danger
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
Who would have thought the road to Mt Pilchuck would be open, let alone snow free, at the end of...
Who would have thought the road to Mt Pilchuck would be open, let alone snow free, at the end of January? We were surprised to drive all the way to the trailhead with only a couple snowy chunks along the side of the road. We left the trailhead under a steady drizzle, again with no snow to be seen. There was actually more snow here back in early November, our last visit! We only began to hit snow beyond the rocky switchback where the trail emerges towards the old ski slopes. Here it was only a few inches though.
We finally began to see real snow once we reached the open slopes. It wasn't that deep though and some rocks, as well as the old ski tower base, were still visible. We played leap-frog with a group of four, finally passing them near the ridge as they took a wrong turn. Another hiker using an umbrella passed us here. We made short work of the final trip to the tower. The track this time led to the opposite side of the tower, bypassing the ladder. The rocks were well covered with snow but slippery. Sadly it was still more rain than snow, way up at 5300 ft! This time the lookout was not encased in ice and another hiker had been able to open the door. We propped up one shutter with our trekking poles for some light and slipped inside to dry off our soaking gear and have a nice lunch. Winds were very calm for once. We stayed about 20 minutes before the dampness led to cold, descending the way we came. The snow level had dropped a few hundred feet but it was still mostly rain. We managed a few nice but short glissades. The upper snowy layer would slough off after the first slide, resulting in a faster run for the second person. At one point Beth took a slide off the top of a large rock slab, catching some air, before crashing down into the snow. Thankfully it was a soft landing! We made it the rest of the way down soggy and cold but without incident and detoured to Neopolis in Lake Stevens for pizza. Highly recommended! They also give a 10% discount if you pay in cash. Snowshoes and ice axes carried but not used. Traction devices would be useful since the packed trail is slippery.
Mount Pilchuck
— Jan 30, 2010
— guinness
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Water on trail | Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Pilchuck was pretty snowy after about a mile from the trailhead. A significant portion of the hike was on/in very...
Pilchuck was pretty snowy after about a mile from the trailhead. A significant portion of the hike was on/in very deep snow. Several feet deep most places, with more up at the top. Beautiful and pleasant hike with the right equipment.
There was one downed tree near the trailhead, but very passable.
Mount Pilchuck
— Jan 10, 2010
— pforbin
Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Just to clarify, as I could not find the trail in the database (which was strange). This report is for...
Just to clarify, as I could not find the trail in the database (which was strange). This report is for Mt Pilchuck, the trial that begins past Heather lake on the Mt Loop Highway.
We never expected the trailhead to be accessible in January, but the road was clear all the way to trailhead. Brought snowshoes, but did not need them until around 2 miles. Once we got them on, the hiking was fun, and the trail had pleanty of snow at the higher elevations. Clouds cooperated offering views of the Olymimpics and Sound, Mt Baker and what I think was Glacier Mt. We made to just under the final summit ridge, and could have easily summited, if it were not for the fading daylight. Great to take advantage of this hike in a mild winter... Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
The road was almost clear up to the parking lot. The last few hundred feet had some snow, but could...
The road was almost clear up to the parking lot. The last few hundred feet had some snow, but could be passed with any car (as long as you didn't have to pull over to let another car pass).
There was a surprising amount of activity on the parking lot when I arrived at 11am. Turns out a lot of people were there looking for Christmas trees! The bottom section of the trail was covered in ice. Microspikes saved the day. Further up in the woods there were some bare spots. Then, soon after crossing the first talus field, compact and very hard snow, so no need for snowshoes, but microspikes again helped a lot. The packed trail appeared to follow the summer trail more or less, except for at the top were it seemed to take a shortcut. Temperatures remained low enough to prevent the hard snow from turning into slush under the sun. Expected strong winds at the top, but it was calm. Encountered maybe a dozen or so parties on the trail, some well equipped, other less so. |
Driving Directions
From Granite Falls follow the Mountain Loop Highway east. One mile beyond the Verlot Public Service Center, turn right onto graveled Forest Road 42 immediately after crossing the "Blue Bridge." Drive 7 miles to the trailhead at the road end (elev. 3100 ft). Privy available.
|
Document Actions
- Email this page
- Print this
- Share





