White Pass - Pilot Ridge Loop, Blue Lake High, Johnson Mountain & North Fork Sauk River — Thursday, Jul. 10, 2025

I did a 3 day, 2 night trip going counter clockwise on the loop from Thursday afternoon to Saturday morning.

Day 1:

Headed up the Pilot Ridge, there were a few blowdowns but nothing too crazy; the trail could be found within a minute of scouting. The bigger issue is water if you are going this route. Going up I counted 2 water sources (not counting the random seeps running down the trail. There is a really strong stream that was wide enough to rock hop, then another weaker stream higher up near one of the blowdowns. Otherwise it is pretty dry until hitting Blue Lake. Luckily I was prepared for this and carried 2.5L upon hitting the ridge to dry camp. I had a late start so I was already on the lookout for camp sites. I saw a pretty large clearing for multiple tents, but continued a bit further to a 1 tent site 7.5 miles from the trailhead according to Strava. 

Day 2:

The clouds rolled in overnight and I was treated to dew dripping from the trees above, but upon waking up I had a glorious view of Glacier peak with fog filling the valleys below. Continuing to Blue Lake, I decided on a side quest to Johnson Mountain which I highly recommend. The trail up was very straightforward I had stunning views of Blue Lake below and was able to see Mt Baker down to Mt Rainier. However, at this point the mosquitoes were well aware of my presence and I suspect they will get worse over the next week or two. I made my way down to Blue Lake and up the High Route. I didn't have microspikes but was not held up by the lingering patches of snow. By the time you read this, they will be even less of a concern or completely gone. A quick decent down and following the PCT to White Pass, I set up camp at the campground below the ridge.

Day 3:

I made a quick stop to check out Red Pass before heading down back to the trailhead. On the way down I encountered a bunch of parties with helmets and axes on their way up to Glacier Peak. Once in the forest there were several Doug-Fir and Red Cedar with massive trunks I couldn't help but gawk at. Also distracting were the blueberries coming in, as well as a patch of wild strawberries. I made it back by 11am to a full parking lot with a few cars parked on the road.