Cascade Pass,Horseshoe Basin (Stehekin),Park Creek Pass,Thunder Creek,Fisher Creek,Easy Pass #741
Aug 31, 2007
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Cascade Pass
- Region: North Cascades -- North Cascades Highway
- Agency: North Cascades National Park Visitors Center (Newhalem)
- Avg Rating: 3.65
- Be Aware Of
- Blowdowns
- Bridge out
- Overgrown
We took 5 days to hike from Cascade Pass to Easy Pass in the North Cascades, a distance of 50 some miles. We timed it perfect and had glorious weather and great views throughout the trip.
After getting a permit and spotting our car at Easy Pass, we started out from Cascade Pass about 1:00, just at the height of the day-trippers. We had been to the top of the pass many times before, but it is still a pretty area and a great trail to the top. We then hiked down to Basin Creek Camp, through even better scenery. This camp washed out several years ago and you now camp on the gravel bars, but it was actually a fun camp spot.
One Day 2 we backtracked a little and day hiked up the Horseshoe Basin. This is a not-to-be-missed detour if you are ever in the area. Gorgeous cliffs and waterfalls. Then an easy 6 miles down the old road to Flat Creek Camp. This was another great camp, just a little off the trail so it looks like hardly anyone ever uses it.
On Day 3 we hiked up and over the entire Park Creek Pass. On a very hot day. This was not our best planning. Even though the pass is astounding, gaining 4000 feet on a steep south facing pass on a hot day was a killer that just about did us in. I'd recommend to anyone else doing this trip to break up the climb at either 2-mile or 5-mile campsites. 2-mile is OK even though it is very small, 5-mile is very nice, and the Buckner campsite shown on the maps seems to have disappeared from reality. Park Creek pass is beautiful from both sides, but particularly the South Side. We were supposed to hike through to Skagit Queen that night but collapsed when we got to Thunder Basin Camp, and since no one was there we decided it was a great place to spend the night. Note that Thunder Basin Camp is different from the Upper Thunder Basin Camp, which is designated as the hikers camp and is near treeline, another mile or so up. Thunder Basin Camp was something that they didn't tell us about in Marblemount and is shown on some maps as a horse camp, but is a very nice place.
Day 4 we hiked down past Skagit Queen to the Junction Camp, then turned up the Fisher Creek trail. Expect brushy trail between Upper Thunder Basin and Skagit Queen. The part of the Fisher Creek trail between Junction and Cosho was all recently cleared and is in great shape, except for the death-defying log crossing of Logan Creek.
Day 5 continued up from Cosho Camp to Easy Pass and the trailhead. We had heard many terrible things about this part of the trail but it is not as bad as we had heard. There were about 30 - 40 blowdowns that we had to climb over, under or around, but it was only a major nuisance, not a trip stopping delay. Easy Pass was again spectacular, particularly going up the West side which all the daytrippers miss.
All of the trails and camp sites were practically deserted for the whole trip and we felt like we had the whole area to ourselves. From the top of Cascade Pass to the top of Easy Pass, we only met about one other party a day. We were amazed at the few people out on these trails, especially for a beautiful week in August.
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