I started at the Denny Creek trailhead which was quite full. Many people were escaping the hot weather with a trip to Denny Creek. The trail proceeds under the I-90 Westbound bridge and reaches the creek in about 1 mile. The crossing here was difficult, but I managed to cross with waterproof boots and poles. The trail continues past Snowshoe falls and up some switchbacks. After another 1.5 miles I ran into patches of snow. Right around here the trail crosses back across Denny creek. There is an easy log crossing which has been marked by some pink flagging. I missed this turn off on the way up and had to cross at a more difficult spot. Judging from the footprints, many people also made this mistake. The trail continues another 1.5 miles up to the top of the ridge. As the trail starts to climb out of the valley there is quite a bit of snow over the trail in places and it’s easy to lose the trail. I didn't feel like microspikes were necessary, though they could be useful if the snow was harder. Once the trail crosses over the ridge most of the snow vanishes and it’s a short walk to Melakwa Lake.
The lake is still snow covered. There are patches of snow around the lake, but there are plenty of spots one could camp out of the snow. After a quick lunch, I continued up towards Kaleetan Peak. The climbers’ trail is across the Melakwa lake outflow immediately on the left. The trail follows the outflow briefly and then climbs. You’ll know you’re headed in the right direction when you pass the toilet. This scramble trail is well-defined and easy to follow, though there were some patches through the snow that require a bit of route finding. About half way up there’s an overview point with a large rock stack and a great view of Mt. Rainier. This would make a great destination in lieu of the Kaleetan Peak summit. Soon after, the trail turns off the ridge to the left and descends several hundred feet into the valley. I missed this turn at first and the ridge became too jagged to follow. The descent is still very much covered by snow and I was regretting leaving my ice axe behind. Luckily the snow was just soft enough to kick steps. From here it’s a straight shot to the summit, though a bit of route finding is required. There are several cairns along the route which were helpful. The final scramble up to the summit was less difficult than I expected. It’s actually not much worse than the Mt. Si haystack, though there is much more loose rock so use caution.
The views from the summit are excellent. Since Kaleetan Peak is several hundred feet higher than most of the Snoqualmie Pass peaks, you can see almost all of them. There’s also a great view of many of the surrounding alpine lakes including Kaleetan Lake, Tuscohatchie Lake, Pratt Lake, Chair Peak Lake, Snow Lake, and Gem Lake.
Click here for a 360° Summit View
I was quite tired by this point and the temperature was in the 80s so the journey down was slow. The journey back up the snow to the ridge was a bit easier due to using microspikes this time. I ran out of my 3L of water as I crossed the Melakwa lake outflow so I stopped to filter some more. The trail down had turned into a stream in places due to the snow melt. The return crossing of Denny Creek was even more difficult now due since the water was several inches higher. I again managed to cross without removing my boots though it was very close and I wouldn’t have risked it if I hadn’t been just a mile out from the car. I reached the car quite exhausted, about 10 hours after setting off.
On my drive out I encountered a car that had been smashed by a massive fallen tree near the Denny Creek campground. Terrible luck!
Trip Stats
About 11 miles, 4500 ft elevation gain.
Photos
https://goo.gl/photos/oE1LRX4XjzJGqgmQ6
Map
Comments
Dawgfaj on Denny Creek, Melakwa Lake, Kaleetan Peak
Excellent report, thank you!!!
Posted by:
Dawgfaj on Jun 25, 2017 05:43 PM