This is a spectacular loop. It was foggy and off and on rain for the first two days but still beautiful. The fog was weaving in an out of the mountains and the wildflowers were sweeping across the hillsides. We were glad for the sunny and clear weather for our last 12 mile day as the mountain views are abundant and awe-inspiring. Try to plan at least part of the trip during clear skies because you don't want to miss expansive views. You don't need back country permits but you do need a Northwest Forest Pass for parking. I believe it is $5 a day and $30 for a year. We did this trip in three days and two nights. The loop doesn't begin and end at the same trailhead so be prepared for a little forest road walking. We dropped off our packs at the Bald Eagle Trailhead and drove back a little over 2 miles to North Fork Sauk trailhead. We walked back to our packs using Fire road 49 south just over 2 miles to the Bald Eagle Trailhead. We got a late start and so we didn't reach Bald Eagle trailhead until 5:51pm so we decided to only hike an additional 4.3 miles to Curry Cap. The trail was overgrown and it was drizzling so our boots got soaked from the dripping greenery. I think gators would have helped. It was a steady gradual climb up to Curry Cap. I saw two campsites there. 1 large multi-tent area. 1 smaller. There is water available via the Quartz Creek Trail just beyond the campsites off of the Bald Eagle Trail. The next day we continued up the Bald Eagle Trail. The trail immediately starts ascending from Curry Gap. The hard climbs are short and broken up by long sweeps across meadows and ridges with great views. If you get an earlier start there are two other campsites along the Bald Eagle Trail. At 11.5 Miles there is a good but dry camp and then in another mile there is another camp that does have access to a small creek. There was water in late July but make sure to pack extra water just in case if hiking in mid-August. There is a junction in a small gap at 14 miles and you want to continue straight on the Bald Eagle Trail. Eventually you descend down a beautiful boulder field smothered in wet green moss and whistling marmots. Then you begin a small ascent up to Little Blue Lake. There are a couple smaller ponds before Little Blue Lake so don't be confused. There is a campsite here but we continued and camped at Blue Lake which is tremendous. Continue to the left passed Little Blue Lake on Bald Eagle Trail until you reach a junction. Blue Lake is to the right. There are several great campsites here. The lake is beautiful and there are beautiful views of the mountains and the ridge you will cross the next day. Blue Lake is at 15.6 miles (from your parked car). The next day we hiked 12 miles back to our cars sweeping around pilot ridge. From Blue Lake go back to the junction and continue on Pilot Ridge. VIEWS VIEWS VIEWS!! At 16.7 miles there is a side trip option up Johnson Mountain for 0.8 miles. We did not do this because it was a very steep 0.8 miles and it would have added a 1.6 to our day, but we've been told we missed out. It turns out we crushed the 12 miles before 1pm so we probably should have taken the extra time to peak Johnson but we will save it for next time. Continue along the ridge and soak in the beauty. After a somewhat flat sweeping across the ridge the trail begins an aggressive rise and fall pattern across a few knolls. Up down Up down and then way way way down. The final descent to North Fork Sauk is brutal. You reach North Fork Sauk River at 25.2 miles and you must ford the river. The river was low enough in late July to cross but there are plenty of BIG fallen trees to cross too. There are nice camps sites right on the river. Then you have an easy 2.1 mile hike back to your car through a lush, fern-filled forest.

Pilot-Sauk loop counterclockwise and added the short side trip up Johnson Mountain (6721'). Relevant trail conditions (all in pretty good shape!): Pilot Ridge: 5-10 blowdowns with a few requiring some awkward straddling/climbing over. One creek flowing three miles in from the NF Sauk trail head, then dry until Blue Lake. Pacific Crest Trail: some water flowing north of Indian Pass, on the west side of Indian Head Peak. North Fork Sauk: streams flowing after the trail turns off the PCT, before the switchbacks. Completely logged out as well. Amazing old growth... Full photo set and GPS on my blog, below.

We climbed Glacier Peak by taking these two trails. The Sloan Creek road had a few spots where potholes crossed the entire width of the road, so just drive slow and easy. The North Fork Sauk trail was in great shape early on, but needs quite a bit of brushing after the junction with Pilot Ridge Trail at 1.9 miles. I see that a Youth Volunteer Vacation will be up there next week. They'll have plenty to keep them busy, and plenty to enjoy. See the photo of the orange tag that USFS left for WTA! Ha! Right away, the old-growth trees are just stunning. I bet there are some thousand-year old trees in there, maybe more. There are spots where the trail is entrenched and rocky, but it's a pretty quick hike to the Mackinaw Shelter at 5.5 miles (Our GPS said 6 miles). This was a very hot weekend, so we got more water at Mackinaw, but not too much. The 3,000' set of switchbacks starts here, going up to the PCT. We found another good stream at about halfway, near 4,300', and another stream at 5,500', just before the junction with the PCT. That climb goes in and out of trees and open areas. We were very thankful for the shade in the treed sections. We got more water at the 5,500' stream to carry us up to the White Chuck Glacier. The route to the White Chuck follows the PCT toward White Pass for about half a mile, and turns easterly onto Foam Creek Trail for 1.5 miles. I noticed that Foam Creek Trail is marked on newer Green Trails maps, but not the older ones. The Foam Creek traversed beautiful alpine meadows, full of heather, flowers, and an occassional marmot. We crossed very short chunks of snow in each little stream drainage, but not much. At the end of the Foam Creek trail, we could see Glacier Peak just over another col. The official trail ends there, but a climbers path drops down to the headwaters of Foam Creek and then up to that other col you can see. From there, the view opens up even more, down into a large glacial meadow basin dotted with snow and running water, mostly snow this time. We went down into that basin to camp and begin our climb the next day. In that basin, there were a few marmots too. We buried food in the snow, but a bear canister would have been good. There were no mosquitoes that high (6400'). We hiked out the same way two days later, after a successful climb of Glacier Peak. That's a long route. It must be 12 miles to the end of the Foam Creek trail, and our camp was a little over 13 miles from the trailhead. There are good campsites near Mackinaw Shelter, near White Pass, and at the end of the Foam Creek trail on a knoll. Once you hike above White Pass, there are fewer trees to hang food.

I knew this was going to be a long hike so I started out at 6:00am. Mountain Loop Hwy was in great shape, but I was dodging quite a few potholes on road 49. There were just 2 other cars at trailhead. I only met one backpacker and two climbers who were returning from Glacier Peak on the hike up. Overall the Sauk River Trail was in great shape, but devils club was encroaching on the trail in the sunny spots before Mackinaw Shelter. From Mackinaw Shelter to White Pass the trail was completely snow free with no issues. The wildflowers were in full bloom up in the meadows and the color was intense. There was a nice cool breeze and I think it kept the bugs away. The hike through the alpine meadows up here have always been one of my favorites, there seems something magical about it. At White Pass I explored the climbers path to White Mountain and was treated to some spectacular views of Glacier Peak and the White Chuck River Basin. There were still some snow patches in the gully's on the north side of White Mountain, but its melting fast. Just met a few hikers on the way back down and other than that I pretty much had the trail to myself today. It was a long day on the trail today and was back at the car at 5:40pm and the parking lot was full at the trailhead.

I've hiked the North Fork Sauk River trail twice before but never made it up to White Pass due to snow or insufficient time, so that was today's goal. The access road from the Mountain Loop Highway is rough (potholes and washboards) but should be passable for almost anyone. By the time I got to the trailhead around noon, the parking lot was full and cars were parking along the road. A few bugs at the trailhead motivated me to put on DEET, but not sure it was necessary once I got moving. The trail is in great shape, with no blow-downs or other major issues to report. The first five miles roll up and down as you climb gently toward the Mackinaw Shelter. The trail mostly sticks to thick forest, but you'll cross a few small streams and wade through overgrown raspberry bushes and other spring growth as you cross a handful of avalanche chutes. I was wearing shorts and a few stinging nettles got my shins, but they weren't bad enough to require long pants. There are great camping sites near the Red Creek Bridge at about 4 miles and all around the Mackinaw Shelter at about 5.5 miles. Both are good destinations for shorter day hikes. Those heading onward should take a water and snack break at the shelter, as you'll gain about 3,000 feet in the next four miles. Leaving the shelter, you immediately start the ascent; the trees quickly thin out and the trail begins switch-backing up an avalanche chute near the head of the valley. The first half-dozen or so turns are the steepest at over 20% grade, and this section of the trail is rocky, dry, and has very little shade except for a short belt of trees that you pass through several times. After about a mile, the grade eases off a little and the switchback segments become longer, but it's still a workout. Views begin to open up of the ridge above, as well as Sloan Peak and the Monte Cristo massif to the west. Wildflowers show up among the thick growth in the avalanche chutes and grow more and more impressive the higher you climb. After a final turn, the trail traverses the increasingly steep slopes of the ridge for maybe a mile before finally meeting the PCT. White Pass is a short and level 0.75 miles "south" (really mostly east) along the PCT, and offers impressive views of the upper White River valley, Indian Head Mountain, Mt. Stuart, Mt. Daniel, and many other peaks on the southern horizon. Camping areas and a backcountry toilet are just below the pass itself. Glacier Peak remains hidden behind the ridge to the north; climbers should take the Foam Creek spur trail and then follow a rough boot path into the White Chuck basin. With a little time remaining, I retraced my steps on the PCT and continued to Red Pass. The PCT beyond the Sauk River trail junction is narrower, steeper, and rocky and slumping in places, so observe the no stock warning sign. The wildflowers in this section were incredible, rivaling those on Flower Dome and Liberty Cap east of Glacier Peak. One small snow bank persisted across the trail just before Red Pass, but it was easily crossed. The upper White Chuck valley beyond it was still pretty snowy. Glacier Peak looms across the basin, almost close enough to touch. The summit was mostly cloud-covered but occasionally peeked out between drifting cumulus. Rainier made an appearance far to south. This is an incredibly scenic area and one I look forward to spending more time in on a backpacking trip before too long. The price of admission is a long and uneventful (but pleasant) approach on the Sauk River trail, but it's well worth it.