Railroad CreekRecent Trip Reports
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Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
Issues:
Blowdowns | Overgrown | Water on trail | Snow on trail | Bugs
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After the boat ride up Lake Chelan to Lucerne and the bus ride up to Holden Village, we hiked up...
After the boat ride up Lake Chelan to Lucerne and the bus ride up to Holden Village, we hiked up the Railroad Creek trail a few miles to Hart Lake. The trail was in fine shape, and the fishing was pretty good at the inlet near the established camp on the NW side of the Lake. The bugs weren't too bad here, but beware the pesky deer!
On day two we hiked from Hart Lake to Lyman Lake. The trail gets a bit brushy up the Crown Point switchbacks, then patchy snow starts about 1/2 mile before reaching Lyman Lake. The camps at the north end of the lake are partially melted out. The large campsite on the NW corner of the lake, just before the trail starts climbing to Cloudy Pass, is totally melted out. We cross-country camped near the inlet at the south end of the lake. The lake is still too cold for decent fishing, and the only apparent surface feeding activity was in the north part of the lake. The mosquitoes are thick throughout the Lyman Lakes basin, all the way up to Cloudy Pass. On day three we took a side trip to Upper Lyman Lake and Spider Gap. This area was almost completely snow-covered, but there are some nice patches of ground melted out for camping up there and the lakes/creek are mostly melted. The ascent to Spider Gap was fine without an ice axe once the sun softened the snow. On day four we headed over Cloudy Pass, then up over Suiattle Pass. We were able to stay roughly on the trail despite plenty of snow. A bit of routefinding was necessary on both passes, especially on protected north-facing slopes above 5500 feet. The mosquitoes let up almost immediately after crossing Cloudy Pass. We dropped down from Suiattle Pass to the Miners Ridge turnoff, and mostly left behind any significant snow at the Miners Creek camp (melted out). We were glad to find the Miners Ridge trail almost completely snow free - what a spectacular stretch of meadows in the mile before dropping into Image Lake! This area really lives up to it reputation! Quite a bit of snow (not steep) is encountered entering the Image Lake basin, but the backpackers camps are totally melted out. The lake was still ringed with snow, and the fishing was no good (still too cold?). On day five we returned to Suiattle Pass and headed down the South Fork Agnes Creek trail (not the PCT, which stays above the valley floor for several miles). The trail was in pretty good shape, but there are some areas of brush, water, and blowdown when crossing the avalanche chutes upstream of Hemlock Camp. These weren't bad enough to cause any route-finding issues. The fishing was a bit slow on Agnes Creek at Hemlock Camp, as the creek is still pretty high and cold. On day six we continued down Agnes Creek. The trail was in fine shape and the huckleberries were ripe as we approached 5-mile camp. Plenty of bear activity in the area around and downstream of 5-mile camp. We didn't have any trouble with bears in our camp on Pass Creek, but we encountered a bear near the camp at the West Fork Agnes Creek trail intersection, and another bear just after crossing Pass Creek. We continued to see plenty of tracks and scat all the way to the Agnes Gorge bridge. Multi-night backpack
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Snow on trail
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This was a 2-night, 3-day backpack up the Railroad Creek valley to Lyman Lake and back, with a day hike...
This was a 2-night, 3-day backpack up the Railroad Creek valley to Lyman Lake and back, with a day hike to Miner's Ridge in the middle.
Snow started at the switchbacks up to Lyman Lake. The campsites at the lake are buried under 6 inches of powder. It was bitter cold at night. A good portion of the lake froze overnight, but the outlet remained open which is good as this is the only water source until the PCT junction between Suiattle Pass and Miner's Ridge. I followed footsteps from Lyman Lake all the way to the junction to the Canyon Lake Trail on Miner's Ridge. These missed the spur that goes directly from Cloudy Pass to Suiattle Pass and instead dropped all the way to S. Fork Agnes Creek and then took the PCT up to Suiattle Pass. Not a big detour however. The snow on Miner's Ridge was deeper, at least a foot or powder. I saw a lot of tracks on this trip but none were bear. They are gone for the winter. On the way back the tracks took the spur directly from Suiattle Pass to Cloudy Pass. I followed these about halfway to Cloudy Pass when I encountered the person making them. She had stopped having lost the trail in snow. Luckily I'd been here a couple of months earlier so knew where to go and led us back to Cloudy Pass. Climbing through this rocky stretch in soft snow was very sketchy. I'm glad I had my ice axe just for balance. The second night wasn't as cold because clouds moved in. I made it back to Holden in time for breakfast at 10 am. There I saw the hiker from the previous day. She had day hiked from Holden to Image Lake and back in one day - 36 miles RT! It's about 5 hours from Holden to Lyman Lake. About 9 hours from Lyman Lake to Miner's Ridge and back. About 4.5 hours back to Holden - icy rocks were a pain on this leg. And the snow really slows you down. http://www.flickr.com/jasonracey
Buck Creek Pass, Buck Creek, Suiattle Pass, Railroad Creek, Upper Lyman Lake, Spider Meadows
— Aug 30, 2008
— Scott&Lucy
Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Fall foliage | Ripe berries
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We wanted to make the best of the Labor Day weekend, so we set off at 5:30am from north Seattle....
We wanted to make the best of the Labor Day weekend, so we set off at 5:30am from north Seattle. Got to Trinity around 8am after the most disgusting breakfast ever at the Sultan McDonalds. The 30 minutes spent eating a real breakfast would have been worth it both in the taste & energy we would have got.
It was sunny & fairly windy at Trinity but we soon got our packs on & headed up the trail. Buck Creek trail is easy & flat for the first 6 miles or so. The PCT detour has been good to this trail--almost too good in some parts; it looked like it had been clearcut. About 5mi in we felt raindrops on us. Odd--it was sunny out! As we proceeded we saw a bank of fog/low cloud hugging the ridge top--the wind was blowing the drops our way. It gradually got colder and when we hit the real precipitation it was snow pellets; nice because we didn't get wet! The trail gets steeper--and more scenic once it starts climbing away from the river--about 6mi in. We made Buck Creek Pass about 3:30 (yes we were taking our time--that McD's breakfast). Glacier Peak was shrouded in mist--just peeking through in parts. No one there but lots of nice campsites in the beautiful meadows. We decided to press on to a lower elevation so we didn't freeze that night. A steep & quick hour down found us at Small Creek where we decided to spend the night. Chilly & misty but we were warm with out red beans & rice--and some whisky. The next morning dawned misty & chilly. We left (still in our long johns) at 10:15. The long johns came off after about 15 minutes up the hillside. Not too steep, but enough to warm us up. 11:15 found us at Middle Ridge, pretty in the mist, but no views. Then a walk down & through the forest to the "real" PCT at 12:30. The trail up to Suiattle Pass was fairly easy in improving conditions through lovely huckleberry meadows. Took the hikers trail (not for the faint of heart) to Cloudy Pass. We sheltered from a heavy snowstorm about 300' below the pass & then went on to the blue sky we could see at the other side of the pass (4pm). The meadows on the SE side of Cloudy Pass are beautiful, if past their prime. A pity the ridges were all shrouded in fog. Lower Lyman lake was windy & cloudy so we made for the Upper Lyman Basin: what an incredible place. We pulled in to an awesome campsite completely sheltered from the wind somewhere around 5.30. The weather may not have been the best this weekend (though it was completely fine for us), but it sure made less hardy souls (and bugs) stay away. It was wonderful to have the whole Upper Lyman Basin just to ourselves. Frost on the tent in the morning. We stayed in camp (watching a bear bound across the meadows) till about 11:15 so the snow would have a chance to soften on our paths up & down Spider Gap. The trail up the gap isn't hard to find if you keep a lookout for the cairns. The snowfield was definitely the way to go. Made the top around 12:30 and glissaded (ice axe not needed) down the Spider "glacier" to Larch Knob. Boy the trail from there down to Spider Meadow is steep! A leisurely lunch at the big boulder by Phelps Creek at 1:30. We left the lower meadow at 3pm & got back to the trailhead at 4.30. What a shock! Where were the hoards of people leaving Spider Meadow who were supposed to pick up a hitchhiker & take me back to the car? We started down the road & after about 15 minutes were picked up by a lovely lady driving a red jeep. If you read this, thanks & I hope your trip to the Enchantments was wonderful! All in all a great hike, probably improved by the iffy weather keeping the crowds away. One final note: the way to do this loop is clockwise; the steeps are all downhill that way, Spider Glacier is a glacier no longer, and that 8mi out Buck Creek trail would be boring & long at the end. Okay, if you don't have a modicum of experience of snowfields maybe do it counter-clockwise, but don't be put off by the warnings that the glacier is dangerous. It isn't--at least not in late summer. Day hike
Issues:
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Five hot sunny days -- what better time to be in the mountains?
After a ten hour car-boat-bus journey from Seattle,...
Five hot sunny days -- what better time to be in the mountains?
Phelps Creek #1511,Spider Gap #1256.2,Cloudy Pass #1256,Image Lake #785,Buck Creek #789,Buck Creek #1513,Suiattle Pass #1279
— Aug 15, 2008
— jletts
Day hike
Issues:
Bugs
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Completed this loop between 8/15 and 8/19. I am not including pictures as there are many excellent recent trip reports...
Completed this loop between 8/15 and 8/19. I am not including pictures as there are many excellent recent trip reports with tons of detail and pictures (here and at nwhikers.net). In fact I was surprised by the number of people we saw in the backcountry, many on the same loop. The trip started out hot Friday and Saturday. Camped just below Spider Gap Saturday night. The weather changed and clouds rolled in for Sunday making perfect hiking weather. Lots of snow in the gap on both sides, but temps were warm and it was no problem with only trekking poles. The trail from the gap down to Upper Lyman Lakes is very rough in places with loose talus and false footholds. Caution! Tons of bugs in the meadows above Lyman Lake so we cruised past and up to Cloudy Pass. Spectacular scenery from Cloudy, now my favorite alpine meadow ever. The trail to Image was in good shape and we saw 2 bears in the Image Lake area. Myself and my hiking partner were the only people camped at Image Lake on Sunday night, the only solitude of the trip. Amazing lightning show illuminated Glacier Peak all night and held back the rain. Bugs were bad. Monday started wet and stayed that way all day. We hiked up to the Miners Ridge lookout and spoke with the ranger stationed there. He mentioned some rough weather moving in by Tuesday night with one inch of rain expected. We had originally planned on descending from this point to the Suiattle and trying to ford at some point to get up on the flanks of Glacier Peak on the old PCT. But the incoming weather, a potentially impossible ford, and the fact that the PCT hasn't been cleared in years convinced us to push on in the high country. The trail to Buck Creek Pass was cloudy with only a few views here and there of the volcano. Several groups were camped at the pass. We found a good sheltered spot to set up our tarps and start drying out. Tuesday morning was cold and foggy. We waited a few hours for the fog to lift but the weather seemed to deteriorate every hour. Headed back to the car at Trinity in order to avoid a complete soaking of our already wet gear. The trail back to Trinity from the pass was long and very boring. I can't imagine hiking it up to the pass. The Phelps Creek Trail is much more scenic I'd say, so it's best to do the loop counterclockwise and use the Buck Creek trail as the long, tired slog out. A WTA crew was working hard on the trail about half way down, Thanks!! Met a couple of cool people on the trail and gave one a ride back to his truck and the other and his 2 dogs a ride to Highway 2. My friend and I decided to extend the trip another day and head into Leavenworth for some hearty food and beers. We car camped on Icicle Creek Tuesday night with the intention of drying out and cleaning our gear. That night turned out to be the wettest, and by morning we were ready to head for home. If it rained that hard all night in Leavenworth I can't imagine what it must have been like up in the mountains. An excellent trip which opened my eyes to the possibilities in Glacier Peak Wilderness. I've already started planning my next trip in the area! |
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