Little Giant Pass, Napeequa River — Tuesday, Sep. 17, 2024

The Wenatchee River Ranger District trail crew, with the help of two stellar volunteer wilderness rangers, just spent five days working on the Little Giant Trail on both sides of the pass. The trail is fully logged out to the pass (~80 logs cleared in three days) save for a handful of minor stepovers, and has been thoroughly brushed, with spot rebenching accomplished as well. This being the Glacier Peak Wilderness, some brush remains, but we put a significant dent in the worst sections. The trail is passable for stock (though incredibly steep) to the first large camp just past the Little Giant Creek crossing (about halfway to the pass), but we do NOT recommend stock travel past this point.

We also put in some solid work on the Napeequa side of Little Giant Pass, mostly toward the bottom. We thoroughly brushed and rebenched several badly eroded switchbacks. There is still a lot of work to be done on this side of the pass (access and water scarcity make it challenging to work there), but we put a good dent in it. The trail on this side of the pass is super steep and exposed with lots of sketchy tread (that will take more than the couple days we had to fix). Make sure you have plenty of water; trekking poles highly recommended.

We ran into several PCT hikers who seemed a bit shellshocked by how tough the climb up from the Napeequa was (especially immediately after going up and over Boulder Pass). We recommend folks give themselves more time than they think they need to get up from the Napeequa, and do NOT take a chance on hiking this section in the dark, as one unfortunate pair we ran into did. But if you come properly prepared, this is a spectacular climb with unforgettable views of one of the Cascades’ most remote and iconic glacial valleys.

Other notes: The trail was very busy with hunters and PCT hikers, so camp spots are limited on the Chiwawa side of Little Giant Pass. There are NO viable camps between the Napeequa valley bottom and Little Giant Pass, and just one trickle of a water source about halfway up—plan accordingly. Please also park thoughtfully as there is limited space at the Little Giant trailhead.

This is an absolutely beautiful time of year to be on this trail! The weather is pleasant, bugs nonexistent, and fall colors at their most stunning.