Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section I - White Pass to Snoqualmie Pass
Starting in the lush hills and meadows of the William O. Douglas Wilderness, this section's climbs and dips remain fairly moderate throughout. As it follows the crest from White Pass, the trail passes through sub-alpine meadows and past numerous lakes and streams. Mount Rainier looms large here-at times the trail passes within twelve miles of the peak-and remains a near-constant part of the scenery for much of the hike.
About halfway through the hike, the trail descends below the sub-alpine zone, entering a varied landscape of forests, meadows and the occasional ridge-top. Forty miles or so from Snoqualmie Pass, the trail enters land shared by private companies and the Forest Service. From this point on, almost half the trail leads through clear-cuts and exposed hillsides. Be prepared to face the elements in the logged areas and to enjoy the pockets of protected lands, which include a mile-long swatch of old growth forests, and beautiful mountain lakes and meadows. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail | Snow on trail
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Having missed out on any satisfying views and my planned third summit on Monday, Maverick and I again set out...
Having missed out on any satisfying views and my planned third summit on Monday, Maverick and I again set out down rd 9070. From the PCT junction it was a quick 30 minute run up to the Silver/Tinkham saddle, then North toward Silver Peak. There was quite a lot of water on the trail, most of which had frozen over the night before. The day was fairly clear, with a high ceiling of patchy clouds, but unbelievably windy. The route to Summit being mostly exposed, at times it was difficult to stay standing, and occasionally the heavy winds boosted me right up along my way. After a quick break and a fat kids energy bar, we hauled ass down and towards Abiel Peak.
After hitting Silver Peak, Maverick and I rapidly descended the snowy hillside through heavy winds towards Abiel Peak. The ascent is mostly a scramble over sometime loose rock, and is heavily exposed if not on one side then the other. The summit provided a clear view of Abiel Lake, Tinkham Peak, as well as Panoramic views of the Cascades and Rainier. We sat and enjoyed occasional bursts of sunshine a midst the chilling winds until I could no longer take the cold. By this time most of the icy trail had melted or softened up enough to dig in for traction, making for a more leisurely jog back to the car. Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mudholes | Washouts | Water on trail | Snow on trail
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We made it to the top of Mt Catherine in 45 minutes from the new? trailhead. From exit 54, just...
We made it to the top of Mt Catherine in 45 minutes from the new? trailhead. From exit 54, just under 3 miles down road 9070, the trail is on the right side. There is no mention of Mt Catherine, just a sign marked 1348. This is a very mellow trail with only a few hundred feet of light scrambling near the top, and the only sketchy section is endowed with a cable. Thick clouds with scattered snow and rain meant no view today.
After a quick trip up Mt Catherine, Maverick and I headed down the PCT towards Silver Peak. About 2 miles from road 9070 just after passing through a talus field and then losing some elevation with a few switchbacks, a cairn marks the Tinkham Peak/Silver Peak trail. Less than a mile down the trail splits to the North and South, and the one to Tinkham summit gets real steep, real quick. I will never again hike in possible snow without traction devices. Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Mudholes | Washouts | Water on trail
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While the mobs head for the more glamorous destinations north of Snoqualmie Pass, we chose to explore the deserted section...
While the mobs head for the more glamorous destinations north of Snoqualmie Pass, we chose to explore the deserted section of the PCT heading south. Sure, this is not the most exciting place to hike, but I just can't resist the chance to do a loop route, especially one so easy to drive to.
Even though it was a sunny Saturday, there was only one other car at the trailhead. We started out on the southbound PCT, which soon left the forest and headed into the ski area's artificial meadow. The chairlifts patiently waited for the onset of winter. After a mile, the PCT led us to the more natural environment of Beaver Lake, then gradually descended through old growth forest to Lodge Lake. The spur trail heading to the lake was covered with puddles, so we chose to continue on. The PCT continued on a long, nearly level traverse on a forested slope high above the Snoqualmie River valley. As the trail approached Rockdale Creek, some nice views opened up at a power line corridor and a big talus slope. Beyond Rockdale Creek, rushing heartily from the recent rains, the trail soon joined a logging road. Here we left the PCT and followed the road past unseen Rockdale Lake and an avalanche control contraption that uses a bicycle pedal-driven cable to hoist explosives up the slope. Looks like a fun job! Eventually, we reached the road intersection called Grand Junction in winter, when all these roads become x-c trails. We headed north on various roads heading along the top of ski runs. The entire area was deserted - no hikers, or anyone else. Lots of litter dropped by skiers was scattered everywhere on the runs. Some careful searching might turn up some valuable stuff. On the brighter side, there were nice views toward the north Cascades, and amidst the ski runs patches of old timber sheltered natural bogs and swamps. A fork in the road near the top of the Mountaineers' property confused us a bit. First we took the lower road, but that soon headed the wrong way down a ski slope. So we backtracked and took the upper road, which traversed below yet another lift station. A steep cat track took us back down to the PCT near Beaver Pond. All in all, this trek on the PCT, logging roads, and ski runs covered about 8 miles. When the crowds going to Snow Lake get you down, try this loop! Trail conditions: The PCT was recently brushed out...nice work! Running water continues to damage the tread, which is rocky and eroded areas in a number of places. Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
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This was our annual fall loop hike. We park at the beginning of FR 7190-410 about 4 miles from HWY...
This was our annual fall loop hike. We park at the beginning of FR 7190-410 about 4 miles from HWY 410 on the Crystal Mt HWY. We begin on the Norse Peak Trail and hike 3.5 miles to a junction with the Goat Lake Trail #1161. There is a wood sign nailed to a tree saying, "Goat Lake". The trail climbs a short distance to a ridge above Goat Lake Basin and then drops down to contour above the basin which today was "fogged in" so that only once did we catch a glimpse of trees reflected in the lake. Usually we see elk and/or goats, but if there were elk by the lake, they were hidden in the fog. 1.9 miles from the junction you reach the Norse Peak Wilderness area and the PCT at Barnard Saddle. Turning right the trail goes above Big Crow Basin where there is a shelter. We had met 2 horsemen who said there was a hunting camp set up in the basin so we had lunch along the trail above the shelter rather than dropping down to the shelter as we usually do. The meadows in this area were beautiful with the fir trees and the fall colors of the grasses and false hellebore. In about a mile we reached a junction of the PCT and Norse Peak Trail 1191. We turned right on the Norse Peak Trail climbing steeply at first to then contour gradually the basin to the 6600 ft ridge top and high point of our loop. Here Trail 1119A to the left climbs to the top of Norse Peak. Because there were no views today we turned right to return in 5 miles to the TH. This loop is 12-13 miles with a total gain of about 3500 feet. Fog was with us most of the day and added to the beauty of the area.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns
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To reach the TH drive 4.2 miles on the Crystal Mt Road and turn left on Gold Hill Road (FR...
To reach the TH drive 4.2 miles on the Crystal Mt Road and turn left on Gold Hill Road (FR 410). Continue straight on this road until you reach a small pull out just before a sharp left turn. Park here. There is a sign for the Bullion Basin Trail on the left and a road straight ahead. Hike on this road to a sign for the Silver Creek Trail which will take you to Hen Skin Lake in about 2.5 miles from the TH. The road/trail is dry and dusty, but there are beautiful flowers along the way. The paintbrush are mostly past their peak, but the lupine, arnica, daisies and valerian are fresh. There were a few small patches of snow as we approached Hen Skin Lake. The meadows were beautiful and fragrant with lupine, daisies, arnica, valerian, and a few magenta paintbrush. For the fist time mosquitoes were not a problem at the lake. We continued on the Silver Creek Trail 1192 through beautiful meadows of lupine arnica, and valerian to Bear Gap on the PCT. There were a few trees cross the trail in this section, but they were easily stepped over. Here we turned left and followed the PCT north for about 4 miles to a little beyond Scout Pass and a view of Basin Lake. The wildflowers from Bear Gap to Scout Pass were beautiful. There were many bouquets of lupine along the trail and in the meadows above and below. Daisies and a few magenta paintbrush were also present to add to the display. We retraced our steps south on the PCT for about 2 miles. Here there is an unmarked but obvious steep trail which takes you to Bullion Basin which you can see from above. From here we completed our loop on the Bullion Basin Trail for a total of about 12 miles and an elevation gain of 2500 feet with all the ups and downs. The ridge walk along the PCT was especially pretty with all the fresh blooming flowers! The Green Trails map #271 for Bumping Lake shows this loop and is probably clearer than my description! :)!
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Fall color along the PCT. Photo by David Hagen.
2010
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