Gorgeous 4 day loop, Thurs-Sun. Wild flower meadows, lots of ridge walking, tons of volcano views. Brand new privies at every single campsite! Quite a few other folks out there but we didn't have any trouble finding campsites. Only a few tiny snow patches to cross. Mosquitos were very present but not the worst we'd experienced - grateful for head nets in the evening. 

On day 1, we had a mellow and mostly flat ~6 miles to Mackinaw shelter (no longer an actual standing shelter). Camped at an excellent river spot. There are a few good camp sites that aren't immediately obvious, so we explored around a bit before settling in.

Day 2 was ~4 miles of elevation gain via switchbacks up to White Pass. We dropped our packs at the junction and took a left to Red Pass, where we got our first huge views of Glacier Peak. For water at White Pass campsite, we followed the small creek down to where it meets with another creek coming down the opposite hill side.

On day 3 we went ~10 miles to Blue Lake. Incredible lupine meadows and views the whole way. Perfect cold swim. 

Early on day 4 we took a detour to Johnson Mt - highly recommend for 360 views, though it was a longer detour than we expected (seemed like 2 miles instead of 1 there and back). Then an arduous 10 miles with steep elevation loss that seemed to last forever!!! Most strenuous and painful part of the trip. Also a long stretch with no water sources after Blue Lake. 

Three of us hiked the White Pass - Pilot Ridge Loop over 4 1/2 days. I had first hiked this loop route half a century ago, so was thrilled to re-visit this beautiful area! We hiked up the North Fork Sauk trail the first afternoon and camped at Mackinaw Camp. Easy trail in excellent condition. Gorgeous old growth. Pleasant camp by the river.

The next morning we hiked the 2.8 miles of switchbacks up to White Pass. Trail was in good shape, but it was very hot so a very tiring climb. No energy left to take the side trip over to Foam Basin for the great in-your-face view of Glacier Peak.

Day 3 we hiked the PCT portion of the route and camped at Dishpan Gap. Met quite a few PCT through-hikers, encountered a bit of rain, enjoyed a wealth of wildflowers at their best, and of course savored the stunning views of Glacier Peak all along the way.

Day 4 we hiked the longer route via the Bald Eagle Trail to the Blue Lakes, camping at the upper lake. This portion of the route had some challenging sections with a couple of small snow fields, a few downed trees, some scree. It was slow-going here, but all doable. We spoke with some hikers who had taken the high route to Blue Lake. They said it was snow-free but very difficult.... some parts like trying to ski on loose scree. 

On our final day we hiked out on the Pilot Ridge Trail. This was a long day! The 10+miles seemed to take forever! Much of the ridge hike is up & down and up & down across huge meadowed slopes and occasionally through treed areas. Trail conditions ranged from bad to excellent, with the relentless 2.5 miles of switchbacks down to the Sauk being the excellent part thankfully.

Water sources: We did find plentiful water. Several streams and rivulets on the way up to White Pass; streams and tarns at White Pass camp area; several little lakes/tarns/rivulets along the PCT portion; two tarns at Dishpan Gap; even one lively stream on the Pilot Ridge trail on the decent portion. Many of these water sources will not be available later in the summer. Easy to make camp in appropriate places even with the large number of through-hikers and Glacier Peak climbers.

Overall, a fabulous trip with amazing views in every direction of numerous peaks. Glacier Peak and Sloan Peak, of course, dominating. Highly recommend this wonderful loop. Fifty years ago I did it in 3-days as many younger people do today. This time I took 4 1/2 days with time to really savor the amazing views and plentiful wildflowers. Truly a joy!

Stunning overnight clockwise around White Pass and Pilot Ridge! Went clockwise from North Fork Sauk Trailhead (road seemed fine for my lower clearance car, plenty of potholes but fine going slow - though did have a flat once as soon as I hit paved road so don't know what happened!) Plenty of pullouts to park once lot is full.

Took the long way instead of the Blue Lake High Route and camped at the first Little Blue Lake (less crowded than Blue Lake and delightful). Big climb up to White Pass on day 1 was quite nice. Big descent down Pilot Ridge on day 2 was less nice but still fine. Sections WTA noted without dependable water were pretty accurate. The side trip up Johnson Mountain is very worth it!

Trail was generally in great shape - some blowdowns on Pilot Ridge but nothing dramatic. Logs were fine to cross North Fork Sauk at the end. Thank you to the large number of trail workers I came across making this trail even better!

Sadly only one salmonberry and no marmots (though two pikas did say hi). Also sad for the person whose salami & cheese I found behind a log at Mackimaw Shelter.

Absolutely stunning clockwise 3-day 2-night backpack with dogs.

Summary: Essentially snow-free, wildflowers galore, views on views, MOSQUITOES, also, mosquitoes! ALSO - PACK OUT YOUR TOILET PAPER

Day 1:  North Fork Sauk TH to White Pass Camp

Arrived at the TH around 10 am on a Friday and parking lot was quite full. Road in was a tad bumpy but plenty of low clearance vehicles in the lot. Trail begins with a gentle grade under forest cover - enjoy it while it lasts, heh. Mackinaw makes for a good pit stop and water fill up. While Mackinaw is the last reliable water source, there were a handful of small streams that crossed the trail between Mackinaw and White Pass Camp. I assume these streams may dry out by late season but, for now, they were welcome hydration stations for our hot dogs (kielbasas, as we call them) during a hot and exposed ascent. Ran into WTA work crews with their horses which explained all the horse poo - thank you WTA, we appreciate you! The views come quickly after Mackinaw and we were soon joined by marmots that heckled us as we passed. “Get off my lawn!” I imagined them saying. The views opened up to amazing fields of wildflowers and sweeping mountain views as we approached the junction with the PCT. The trail levels and White Pass camp is not too much further. Good camp spots with moderate bug volume and a small babbling brook for water fill up. It’s worthwhile to climb from camp to the top of White Pass for sunset or sunrise for stunning views.

Day 2:  White Pass Camp to Upper Blue Lake

Starts off with a splendid meander along hillsides of wildflowers and valley views. Small snow drifts here and there where the doggies had their snow zoomies. We dropped our packs for a quick and steep climb to Kodak Peak that was well-worth the extra effort. 360 unobstructed views from Glacier Peak to Mount Rainier in the distance. Wowza! While I wouldn’t count on them, there were small streams crossing the trail. Continued on to Dishpan Gap where we turned off for Bald Eagle Trail. The trail climbs moderately at first, then sharply at the turnoff for Blue Lake High route. There is no sign at the fork for Blue Lake High route (Keep Right for short, steep route to Upper Blue Lake). IMO, the ascent and descent to Upper Blue Lake is the hardest part of the entire loop as the climb is steep with loose rocks, full exposure, and no water sources. Poles highly recommended. Had to hoist our lil pup by his harness at a point or two as he couldn’t get over some large boulders safely. Blue Lake hosted the MOST abundant mosquito volume I have EVER experienced. Still a little snow/ice on Blue Lake. Mosquitoes finally relented around 8 or 9 pm when temperatures dropped and we could enjoy time outside of our tent.

Day 3: Upper Blue Lake to North Fork Sauk TH

Pilot Ridge Trail starts with a moderate climb with excellent views. We chose to forego the short side trek to Johnson Mountain and later regretted it after hearing it was magical from another hiker. Make up for our misdeeds! There are absolutely no water sources until approximately mile 7 or 8 where a stream crosses the trail, which, again, may dry out by late season. The final descent is unrelenting, but, thankfully, shaded. Hiking poles were very necessary for ye olde knees. The final challenge is crossing North Fork Sauk River. You have to take a step from one large log to another to safely cross. The logs are very sturdy but I am scared of heights so this was mentally challenging for me. The others had no problem at all and pointed and laughed from the riverside as I talked myself down from a panic attack (JK JK they came back to help me lolz). After that, it’s an easy breezy covergirl 1.9 mi back to your car.

Final Note: It seems that every time I backpack now, I find toilet paper littering campsites. TOILET PAPER MUST BE PACKED OUT according to Leave No Trace principles. Not buried, not left to “decompose,” it must be taken with all your other trash. Please put it in a ziplock bag and hike it out and dispose of it in a trash bin.

Absolutely gorgeous backpacking weekend in the Glacier Peak Wilderness! Road to trailhead was rough in places but passable ending in a full parking lot on a Friday night. Starting at 9pm we had a couple miles of night hiking to the North Sauk River trail/PCT turnoff sites. I have never seen so many large toads! Our dog did not like them... 

Second day we got an early start walking ~3 miles before having a nice breakfast at Mackinwa shelter camps. The shelter is destroyed but there were plenty of sites a new pit toilet cover. On our ascent up to white pass we passed many trail crews who had made huge improvements on the hike-ability of the trail. THANK YOU CREWS! The climb was not as bad as expected with stunning views. It was hot and we should have filled up with water at White pass because the rest of the ridgeline streams were few and far between. We took the high route to Blue Lake which was not great -- definitely pretty narrow and slightly sketchy in places. However, it was passable even with our dog. The camps at blue lake were quite full but we managed to find a spot. The bugs were BAD, so we (and most others I saw) ate dinner in their tents. The privy is also completely full and gross. Upper blue lake definitely seems over-loved. 

The last day we got out early and headed for Johnson Mountain which is absolutely beautiful. We had our breakfast at the top which was a huge treat! If you do this trip Johnson is an absolute must do. It was cool to see the the remains of the old fire lookout and of course the 360 degree views including Baker, Rainier, and, of course, Glacier. The rest of the day passed uneventfully although the descent down to North Sauk is definitely tough. Bugs and all, this trip was amazing and would strongly recommend to others. Total trip was ~31 miles with 8500ft of gain.