Sulphur Mountain — Wednesday, Jul. 10, 2002

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Here's the low-down- 4200 vertical feet in 5 miles. Not quite as steep as Sourdough, but certainly in the same class of trails. Hard workout but fantastic pay-off. Why this trail doesn't get more use is beyond me. It is in very good shape and leads to some incredible and lonesome high-county. And the Views! You can practically spit on Glacier Peak (Okay it's not that close-but close enough). The trail is dry but there is still plenty of snow from about 5400' on. Bring axe just for mobility- there are no exposed sections. Blazes easy to follow where snow has covered the trail. The ridge is snowfree and beginning to flower. Great view down into Sulphur Lake and the Sulphur Creek drainage. Heather and I are strong hiker-runner types- it took us almost 4 hours to get to the summit ridge. Some blowdown, but nothing difficult to negotiate. Bugs tolerable. This is a great choice for escaping the crowded adjacent trails. Just remember- you have to work hard for the views- they come only at the very end-but they are worth it.