This makes for a FABULOUS fall hike!  Three of us did it in three days and included three peaks.  It had snowed up high the night before and the temperatures were cold, but that did not dampen our spirits.

First day:  hiked around ten miles from the trailhead to just beyond White Pass about half a mile.  We carried water for maybe a mile which was not necessary but better safe than sorry.  The sunset was spectacular but this campsite, because it was so high, was the coldest of the trip.

Second day: hiked around fourteen miles from campsite to Blue Lake.  The colors were extraordinary!  We ate lunch on the top of Kodak Peak at 6121 which was an easy walk.  I added a little side trip to June Peak at 5946 and chose to take the longer route to Blue Lake which was less steep but a lot longer with more elevation gain.  I arrived at camp as the sun was setting but the campsite was beautiful.

Third day: hiked around 13 miles from Blue Lake to trailhead.  This was a lot longer and harder than expected due to the ups and downs of Pilot Ridge and due to the number of downed logs.  I did the side trip up Johnson Peak at 6721 in a whiteout - but it was still fun to see this old lookout site.  The final river crossing was quite wet.  All three of us shimmied on our rumps which, given the wet logs and high water, felt safest.  

I highly recommend this adventure including the side trips!  

UPDATED 7/24/21 - returned this week as hubby was climbing Glacier Peak. Just a few addendums: all but 2 snow bridges are melted out on Foam Ck Trail; mosquitoes were terrible at White Pass Camp as were the marmots - I ended up hanging my pack even though I had no food/scented items in it. Bear Grass along Foam Ck Trail ready to pop! 

NOTE: There is a sign posted at the TH announcing that the North Fork Sauk Trail (649) will be closed from Mackinaw Shelter to the PCT 8/5 - 11 and again 8/18-24th, 2021 for long term maintenance. Photo attached.

We only hiked to White Pass so this report only covers the trail up to that point. We passed some people doing the Pilot Ridge Loop so hopefully they will post trail reports upon their return. The trail is completely clear all the way to White Pass - campsites are all dry and free of snow. The trail has also been cleared of brush. The last push up to the pass is no joke - 1000' per mile is tough! There are still some streams crossing the trail after Mackinaw shelter - not just the one off the trail that's mentioned in previous reports. Water is still available at around 4400' and again around 5300' - 5400'. Flies son this section were annoying. The last 1000 feet opens up to beautiful vistas and meadows. This truly is a beautiful place! Wildflowers are plentiful right now, and the blueberries are getting close - maybe another 1 to 2 weeks. We saw yellow/white/magenta/common paintbrush, lots of western anemones/mouse on a stick, indian pipe/pinesap, twin flowers, pink wintergreen, bunch berry, coral root, elephant's head - etc. etc. etc. Amazing! Hikers coming down said mosquitoes were bad, but because it was windy we had no issues. 

Friday morning we hiked up the Foam Creek Trail towards the knoll described in the WTA trail notes. We crossed 8 snowfields/bridges. A couple were a little sketchy - safe until....they're not. Glacier Peak was completely socked in so we never got to see it but there was still plenty of beauty to behold! We passed 2 NO/SO PCT hikers and they asked what the "bushy animals" were. Apparently they weren't used to seeing marmots (from Alabama & Vermont). On our hike out we passed a lot of people hiking in - mostly climbers, but some doing the loop and everyone was really friendly. The joys of hiking w/no face masks and fellow PNW who love the outdoors!

Four day, three night backpacking trip.  No need to go into many details as there are current reports.  Most wrote about the high trail to Blue Lake.  We decided to on the lower trail as many individuals camped at White Pass stated they were headed to Blue and with limited shore camping, we decided on the little less crowded Little Blue Lake.

The lower trail (Bald Eagle to Blue Lake trails) was in good condition with one snowfield that was a little sketchy between Little Blue and Blue Lake.  We slowly crossed with just our poles.

Pilot Ridge down was a thigh burner with some down trees that required going over, under or around.

Safe trails!

Washington backpacking at it’s finest! This is a 5-star loop, with the only thing bringing it back to reality being the deluge of mosquitoes and flies. We looked at some other shorter and/or less popular loop hike options for a long weekend, but decided to go all-in on this one because of the promise of excellent un-ending views, and so glad we did. Less busy than I’d expected (but maybe that’s the Seattle-area hiker in me talking). Trail was overall quite smooth and easy traveling. 

Day 1: TH to White Pass. Garmin stats: 10.5 mi, 4300 ft gain. We hiked this loop in the standard direction, starting at the N. Fork Sauk trailhead on Saturday around 10 am. Trailhead was pretty full so we had to park a couple hundred meters down the road, but there’s plenty of pull-outs to make this easy to do. Trailhead privy A+. Saw only a few other hikers on the trail (mostly going down, presumably from summiting Glacier Peak). Was pleasantly surprised at the intermittent tree cover all the way through the climb (ample opportunities for rest breaks in the shade). Set up camp at White Pass with only a handful of other groups, most seemingly either preparing for or returning from Glacier Peak. We made a quick jaunt up a small boot trail to the nearby ridge for sunset — spectacular. A pair of deer traipsed right through our camp, but were respectful. 0 snow patches.

Day 2: White Pass to Blue Lake via High Route. Garmin stats: 7.8 mi (underestimate?), 2000 ft gain. Hike from White Pass to Blue Lake is packed with excellent views - particularly of Glacier Peak, and also the Cascades and even to Rainier down South. More open (sunny/exposed) than the previous day. Tons of very bold marmots. Wildflowers galore. We took the “High Route” to blue lake. I had been somewhat worried based on previous reports, but nothing to worry about. It’s a climb, but I didn’t find it particularly scary and there were only the smallest of snow patches on the descent to blue lake (not even warranting donning the microspikes we’d brought). And excellent view from the top. Camps were relatively full at Blue Lake on a Sunday, but plenty of little tent spots near the lake. I had expected to swim but there was still ice/snow in the lake (so cold!!) though others were certainly braver. 

Day 2 side trip: Blue Lake to Johnson Peak. Garmin stats: 4 mi RT (over-estimate?), 1400 ft gain. I decided to take a solo jaunt up Johnson Mountain in the evening after setting up camp, partially to avoid sitting around with all the mosquitoes. It’s a steady climb but so worth the views! 360 degrees of pure mountain goodness — could even see Baker! It was rad to be up there by myself. 

Day 3: Blue Lake to TH. Garmin stats: 10 mi, 1700 ft gain, 5000 ft down. A couple more snow field crossings in the first mile or so of the Pilot Ridge trail, but easy/not dangerous to cross, or easy enough to skirt below. More solidly stunning views, especially of Sloan Peak. The first couple miles of the Pilot Ridge trail are stunning meadows, before it enters trees. Bugs felt extra bad this day, keeping our stops short. The dreaded 5000 ft drop from the Pilot Ridge trail down to the river were indeed painful. The trail wasn’t particularly rocky, but my feet were definitely complaining (but also - made it fine). There was a more solid log than I’d expected for crossing the Sauk River, but I was glad to have a pole. I’d recommend bringing poles for this part (& the descent). Another note: blueberries along most of the trail seemed a couple weeks early, but a couple bushes near the river were excellent now! 

Amazing 3 day / 2 night loop! Hiked clockwise, camping at White Pass and Blue Lake. The trail is snow free and in great condition (previous reports made us bring ice axes and microspikes - HAH! What a joke.) A lot of trip reports say the Blue Lake High Route is hard/sketchy, but that is a massive exaggeration - it's a very simple pass, nothing of mention. Tons of mosquitoes and biting flies, recommend bringing a head net. Hiked with a dog. @nutritiontraveller for pics / feel free to ask questions!

Note on using Google Maps to the TH: Google suggests you turn off Mountain Loop Hwy at the wrong road. If you get directed onto an old forest road with a MASSIVE ditch, know that the correct turn off is a few hundred meters north!