Awesome three-day loop in the eastern Pasayten Wilderness!
We carried enough water in case of dry camps, but crossed water each day.
Day 1: A 6-hour-plus drive from Seattle to the Iron Gate trailhead. Approach roads are in good shape. Road 500 for the last five miles is fugly rough but manageable in low-clearance vehicles. Trail 343 drops to Toats Coulee Creek, last water until Windy Lake. Then steady uphill to on trail 342 to Windy Peak. On the 2001 Green Trails map, the section marked "Hard to Follow" wasn't true. On the later version of the map, "Windy Camp" and the adjacent spring weren't true. We dry-camped along the Windy Peak trail.
About a dozen large blowdowns with significant climb-arounds at the top of trail 343, below the intersection with 342. Otherwise no significant obstacles in the 15-mile loop.
Day 2: Windy Peak! Easy side-trail to the summit. Spectacular 360-degree views, including Glacier Peak and Mount Baker, and vast areas of the amazing Pasayten Wilderness. Running water below Windy Lake. Traversed burn zones to Sunny Pass. Big thanks to the wonderful souls who had recently sawed out hundreds of logs! Camped at Sunny Camp, great site with running water.
Day 3: Easy downhill on Trail 533 back to Iron Gate trailhead, then the long, long drive home. Well worth it!
Comments
FootTravel on Windy Peak Loop
Hi! Great report! Where is Windy Lake? The little lake north of Windy Peak and east of the junction with Windy Creek Trail? Thanks!
Posted by:
FootTravel on Oct 14, 2022 12:01 PM
Mark & Phil on Windy Peak Loop
Yes, Windy Lake is the small pond north of Windy Peak. The link to nwhikers.net in our TR has a couple photos of Windy Lake in relation to Windy Peak. The lake's outlet stream crosses the trail between Windy Peak and Sunny Pass. It's a short side track from the trail to the lake. There's a great campsite by the lake, but the lake itself was super shallow with muddy edges. Your mileage may vary ;-)
Posted by:
Mark & Phil on Oct 15, 2022 04:48 PM