Great hike today up Vesper Peak! Perfect weather. We arrived at the trailhead around 8:50am with cars lined down the road. It was a busy day to attempt the climb. The road up to that point was easily navigated but there was a spot or two where I was grateful we had a car with high clearance. 

We started the trail around 9:05 and got to enjoy intermittent creek crossings and a beautiful morning in the wooded area near the begining. Hit the eleveation gain after an easy creek crossing and soon after our first more exposed stretch. Huckleberries began around this point and the views as well. Such beautiful glimpses of the mountains from the get go. Lots of uphill, alternating between shade and sun. Overall we were grateful to begin early. Many water sources along the trail. 

Eventually we exchanged the brushy and exposed areas in exchange for a rocky and exposed area that led us to the many small switchbacks up to the pass. Lost of trail erosion here and lots of gain. First glimpse of Glacier Peak as we ascended! Hit the lake soon past the other side of the pass, amazing valley views and craggy mountain tops laced in clouds. 

Last part of the climb was a choose-your-own-adventure style scramble with vibrant patches of lupine and heather at the starting line. Tough climb in the sun with the glare off the rocks but worth it to hit the summit and see the view. Very busy but still space to find a place to sit and enjoy. We hit the summit around noon. 

Started our descent around 12:40 and stopped near the lake to filter water. Trickiest part of the descent was definitely coming down from the pass through the loose gravelly rock and the exposed stretch that leads away from it. After that, the way down was smooth and fast. We finished around 4:15. 

Great day! Next time might prioritize going on a weekday to experience it less busy but still a lovely day on the mountain.

Beautiful morning at Vesper Peak with polarapfel.  I had an event in the afternoon so we got an early start and started the hike at 6:30am and kept a steady pace up the trail. The trail has quite a variety, starting in the woods, then some quick elevation gain up a brush hillside before a gradual climb up a valley that ends with a right turn to a steep set of switchbacks to Headlee Pass, where you can see your first view of Vesper Peak--great view and a lot of climbing to go.  One tip on climbing up the valley is to check thr map, its easy to get off trail there, we did and saw 3 other groups get off track and go higher up the right side of the valley when the trail was lower.

After Headlee Pass there is a short downhill then some elevation gain to Lake Elan and its outlet.  Now the fun begins with some steep climbing up small switchbacks, followed by walking up some steeper slabs and some scrambling over boulders.  We stayed right on the way up and to the left on the way down.  Staying to the left seemed easier.  We reached the top in 3 hours. The views at the top were amazing with Baker, Glacier Peak and Three Fingers, Copper Lake, and Spada Lake all in view.

After some lunch and taking some pictures with the camera gear we packed up, we headed back to the trailhead.  The return trip was much warmer and we were glad we started early when it was cooler.  The trail is pretty rocky and steep in places, so you need to watch your foot placement,  each of us slipped/tripped several times on the way down. 

Overall a challenging hike which is very rocky. I recommend grippy hiking shoes, poles, and lots of sunscreen.  The bugs weren't to bad until we stopped at the top.  Gaia had the trip at 7.26 miles and 3845 ft of ascent.

We went up as a party of two (see other trip report). The trailhead was already pretty full with cars by 6:30am when we arrived, by the time we got back around midday, there must have been some ~70 cars parked along the very narrow road back from the trailhead. This hike is far more popular than it should be given its difficulty. The parking situation is one reason why you want to start very early into the morning at the trailhead.

The road itself is very narrow, there is not much space for two cars to pass each other. The road condition is fine. We made it in a Mustang. No need for a Jeep for this one.

There is no more snow on the trail all the way to the peak of Vesper. No need for spikes, ice axes and so on. Hiking poles are a great idea though given how steep the trail gets. There is loose earth, rocks and scree. The last bit climbing up to the peak is on steep rock slab. You want appropriate footwear.

There are multiple opportunities to filter water, it's worth packing a water filter on this hike.

The wildflowers are still beautiful. Headlee pass is covered by yellow flowers at the moment.

There is a lot of sun exposure on this hike and midday the heat can be brutal as you climb Headlee Pass. We started at the trailhead at 6:30am in the morning and with a steep pace and no dillydallying, we made it to the peak and back to the trailhead in six hours. Another reason to start early is to avoid the midday heat.

Started too late to be honest. Started at 10:15 and got absolutely cooked and fried by the sun and all the exposure. Start early early on this one. Probably dont bring your dog saw some bloody paw prints on the rocks just before headlee pass. Hardest stretch is the final 1100 feet in 0.5 mi after Lake Elan. Once you get above final stretch of trees after the lake is where the snow ends. Can hop between rocks and stay off of it for the most part if you choose to. Trail is closer to 7 mi than 8 mi id say. Poles and sun coverage very helpful.

Saw someone get majorly of trail descending from the summit. Big thanks to the climbers who helped them out. Stay safe out there and stay within your limits guys. This is definitely a hard one.

Drove up to trailhead Saturday night for a nice early start Sunday. First part of trail through woods has a couple potential detours, looks like some newish trail work to get around downed trees, etc. Not necessary to have GPS, but certainly helped...

Successfully got across rivers and streams with dry feet and made our way up towards Headlee pass. Trail became a bit unclear over larger boulders section before Headlee, but cairns and general direction not too difficult to navigate. 

Headlee pass was a short, steep section of switchbacks with lots of loose rock on the trail. Beautiful opening at the top and a little scree field traverse towards Vesper creek. Successfully maintained the dry feet across Vesper creek and started the climb up through tree section. Started to get a bit steeper with some punchy sections. 

After coming out of this short section, started to get into intermixed snow and rock sections. Watch out for the transitions between rock/snow, good potential for post-holing. Snow was softening up which made climbing relatively easy. Bit of a choose-your-own adventure with scrambling to the peak but certainly doable. 

Enjoyed the view and chatted up the climbers who ascended the North face! Saw a little helicopter take off from unknown lake to the North, also pretty cool!

Climbing back down was straight forward and snow was real soft so glissading was nice and slow, if anything too slow... Both of us just had normal hiking boots and poles (which I would say are necessary for snow sections) and felt relatively comfortable; that being said, ice ax, spikes, and helmet would help mitigate risks.

Rest of the way down was relatively eventful asides from minor rock falls coming down Headlee pass. Please be mindful of loose rocks and folks below!

Legs definitely felt the long downhills, but hiking poles certainly helped. As the trail listing mentions, a perfect hike to dip the toes into more backcountry exploration/summiting while still challenging. 

Overall, a very lovely day hike with fantastic views, not too many people, and a little bit of everything! 

Start time: 5:30ish

Summit: 8:45ish

End time: 2ish (couple of quick stops along the way)