Beautiful sunny day on the Cathedral Pass Trail. I’d give it 4.5 stars if I could.
This was our first time driving into the Salmon La Sac area and I was blown away by how incredibly scenic it is! The gravel road is mildly washboarded but not nearly as bad as other forest roads in the area (no potholes to avoid). Note that at one point you have to ford Scatter Creek, and this may not be possible for especially low clearance vehicles, but was feasible in a Subaru Forester for reference.
We arrived to a mostly full parking lot at 10:00am with about three spots remaining before starting to overflow, but got the sense that most cars were from overnight backpackers because we had the trail mostly to ourselves until arriving at the first lake. Encountered 7-8 downed trees across the trail within the first mile. Thankfully this was not indicative of the condition of the trail overall; The rest of the way was largely clear and in great condition. The grade is steady but merciful the whole way up through the largely shaded ascent. The forest air was heavily perfumed by the prevalence of yellow cedar—a fun change of pace from most hikes on the western side of the Cascades. Vegetation was definitely a highlight this time of year; even the meadow at the trailhead was a delight with its full spectrum of wildflowers in bloom and there were lots of pretty flowers and other vegetation along the whole trail.
The lake at 2.5 miles is good spot for a quick break and snack, and there is a toilet here if you should need it. We spotted a Western Tanager while enjoying the view of the lake from a shady spot just off the trail.
After the lake, the grade steepens slightly. The scenery changes dramatically at about 3.25 miles when you reach the alpine meadow that was filled with wildflowers and stunted firs, dotted with tarns, and offered amazing views of Mount Stuart and other Enchantments peaks, North Paddy-Go-Easy Peak, and Granite Mountain. This trail is going to be berry city in a month or so!
Cathedral Rock is framed beautifully by the meadows, forests and lakes as you near the final stretch of the trail and meet up with the the PCT hikers at the junction. A brief final push up a still steeper grade gets you to Cathedral Pass, where you get to enjoy a dramatic face-to-face view of the flank of Mount Daniel with a beautiful waterfall tumbling down from its melting glaciers. The PeakFinder app informed me Mt. Adams would also be visible from this spot on the clearest days.
Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were truly awful at the pass and very few people lingered for long. Over the course of a 20 minute rest up there I was the unfortunate recipient of 50-100 bug bites on my back and arms, and that was WITH a shirt and fresh coat of Picaridin spray on, but I guess I missed some spots! Maybe DEET is the way to go this time of year… but even still the hike was 100% worth it and I would highly recommend it to all that are interested. Can’t wait to come back and do it in the autumn when the meadow is ablaze with fall colors, and next time I will plan an overnight at Deep Lake or Peggy’s Pond.
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