The Trail:

• The route follows the well-defined Eagle Peak Saddle trail up to the saddle. From there, it is a short scurry up to Eagle Peak, then back down to the saddle where you will follow the ridgeline to the summit of Chutla. After summiting, the route returns down the ridgeline the way you came for a short distance, before veering (descending) off-route (and off-trails entirely) to connect with the Wahpenayo hiker’s trail. Follow the hikers trail up to the ridgeline, where the trail becomes more well-defined the rest of the way to the summit.
• The trail is generally consistent throughout, gaining roughly 750ft of elevation per mile. It has some light scrambling (primarily on Eagle and Chutla) and route-finding (on the way to Wahpenayo) as well. Each of the peaks have a slightly different viewpoint, with the Wahpenayo summit having the best views (in my opinion). Overall, a great day in the mountains! Also, I encountered a brown bear on the trail on my way back from Wahpenayo, so come prepared!
• Hike Stats (averaged between two GPS tracks):
• Eagle Pass - 3.55mi, 3,000ft ^
• Eagle Peak - 3.7mi, 3,200ft ^
• Chutla Peak - 4.15mi, 3,450ft ^
• Wahpenayo Peak - 5.1mi, 4,475ft ^
• Eagle Pass Trail Junction - 6.2mi, 4,530ft ^
• Back to Trailhead - 9.0mi, 4,625ft ^
• Bugs: Bugs were present throughout, but not bothersome.
• Road: Plenty of parking for the trail can be found in the Longmire lodge / welcome area. There may be other parking options as well. It’s a short walk from the parking lot to the trail start.
• Gear: No special gear required for this hike in the summer - just a GPS perhaps.

Full report: 

• Eagle Peak: 
• The route follows the well-defined Eagle Peak Saddle trail up to the saddle  From here, turn to the climber’s left and follow a hikers trail up the ridge. Following the trail will lead you to a 20-foot boulder wall. It may be possible to climb this short Class 5+ wall, however, an easier route exists. Downclimb to the climber’s left as a hiker’s trail wraps around the cliff face - leading to an easy Class 2 / 3 scramble to the summit. Downclimb the way you came, back to Eagle Peak Saddle.
• Chutla Peak:
  • From the saddle, find a hiker’s trail following the ridgeline connecting Eagle and Chutla Peaks. You will lose a bit of elevation while downclimbing on the route, but it isn’t significant. The trail follows the ridgeline, meandering under, around and through some smaller trees on the hiker’s trail. Nothing is too intense here, but some route-finding and minor bush-whacking is required. 
• Wahpenayo Peak:
  • Choose-Your-Own-Adventure:
  • From the summit of Chutla, descend the ridgeline toward Eagle Peak Saddle. Keep an eye to the south, aiming for a route to connect to the hiker’s trail of Wahpenayo. There is no trail here, save for some game trails that meander through steep dirt, grass, and intermittent rocks/scree. Your goal will be to descend the steep slopes of Chutla to intersect with the hiker’s trail of Wahpenayo. My route cut hard down the slope and to the east. I minimized my descent as much as possible and aimed for the rocks/scree early. A smarter maneuver would have been a straight descent, down to the hiker’s trail (which you can’t really see for above) and then proceeding from there. However, no amount of planning will eliminate the need for steep dirt/grass side-hilling if you choose to connect the peaks in a loop.
  • Back to Eagle Peak Saddle Trail:
  • The alternative, to continue from Chutla on to Wahpenayo, is to descend the way you climbed all the way back to the saddle. Follow the established trail back approximately 0.5 miles to a point where the trail heads east to a semi-prominent T-junction. The hiker’s trail to Wahpenayo continues eastward, while the Eagle Peak Saddle Trail continues descending towards the south/west. This will add some distance to the hike, roughly 1.0-1.2 miles, but it will be the easier route in terms of technical difficulty.
  • From below the ridge, leading to Wahpenayo:
  • There are two hikers trails leading up to the ridge. One to the left and one to the right. The one that hugs the rocks more closely (the left) is the better of the two. Upon gaining the ridge the trail becomes much more obvious as it wraps around to the north of the ridge. From this point, follow the ridge on a moderate incline up to the false summit. The true summit is just an easy, 5-minute scramble further along the ridge. Return the way you came, following the moderately identifiable hiker’s trail back to the Eagle Peak Saddle Trail.

Found the trail as described. No bugs and there was still some water in the creek. Instructions to reach the trailhead are perfect but the coordinates are off and send you up the road another 1/2 mile. Park at Longmire ranger station and you’ll be fine.

We lucked out with beautiful weather and incredible views on our Wednesday hike. We arrived at the guard station with no line just before 8AM and had no issues parking at Longmire. 

The trail is steep, but nice and shaded for the majority of the hike and elevation gain. The creek crossing made for a good snack stop and place to apply sunblock. There was one log to climb over on the trail. There were several sections of ripe blueberries and huckleberries. The bench at the saddle, just a little past the sign, made for an incredible lunch location. 

We enjoyed beautiful views and solitude, only seeing 2 others on the trail and one family closer to the trailhead. 

Incredible day outside! 

I'm just going to start out and say that the last .5 miles of this trail is incredibly harder than the rest of the trail but at the same time well worth the view at the end. 

I kind of picked this trail on the spur of the moment because it had been a long work week, and I just wanted to disconnect with a nice hike. I completely forgot to check the elevation gain on this trail and realized very quickly, this is a trail that goes 100% up on the way to the peak. There is basically no dips or flat areas to walk when traveling this trail. There is currently a fallen tree about a mile from the peak, enough space you can go under it or you can go over it using the stump. 

The majority of the trail is covered in shade up to about the last .5 miles when it opens up and the incline increases dramatically. If you made it this far, you have to to continue, you won't be disappointed. My only regret was that I got there so late and so didn't get to spend more time at the top before I wanted to head back.

When you get to the top, You are greeted by the views of at least 3 mountains on a clear day. Mt Rainier, Mt Adams, and Mt. St. Helens. While it was a clear day when I went, I didn't see Mt. Hood but I also wasn't looking for it and could have easily missed it

Trail in good shape with one downed tree that you can crawl or walk over. Wildflowers still blooming. Lunch at the saddle is ideal while gazing at Rainier