Vesper has been on my list for a while, and today was finally a day to check this box. This trail is an absolute PNW experience - heavenly view for a hell of an effort.

Getting There & Trailhead

The road is fine for any car up until 0.3 mi from the trailhead. Watch out for rocks sticking out of the roadway. Potholes are surely there, but they are mostly quite rounded and almost pleasant.

At -0.3 mi, there’s a significant washout that will require high clearance or incredible skills. Since I packed neither today, I decided that adding extra mileage to my hike is a low price for not being stuck. I did see a couple sedans past this washout, but if you don’t feel brave, get ready to park before you get to it. Turning around in that particular spot could be more complicated than a bit further down the road.

Trailhead itself parks ten-ish cars. There’s an outhouse that is usable but totally unstocked.

Trail

If I’m able to walk to my fridge tomorrow, it will be next to a miracle. This is one of the most difficult of 200+ trails I’ve so far hiked in PNW.

The following will be helpful if not life-saving musts:

• Water, tons of it (though refilling is not an issue);
• Sturdy hiking boots with a good grip on rocks;
• Offline map that shows the trail precisely enough because you will be checking it numerous times, unless you have Ranger-sense.

The trail is plain steep. If 4k ft gain over 4 mi does not look intimidating, keep in mind elevation gain is not evenly distributed. For example, approaching Headlee Pass, the trail climbs 400 ft in a quarter mile. Rocks, roots, screes and other natural phenomena don’t make it easier. Payoff is huge, but the effort is real.

I started at 9.30 am to already hot temps, switching into a sloth-slug mode to avoid overheating. Early start definitely helps - not only with temperatures, but also with leaving a significant portion of the climb in a shade of the ridge. Stream crossings were not an issue. Huckleberries start to ripen at mid elevations, looking delicious but mostly not tasting anything like that (yet?).

Boulder section was expectedly tough in terms of trail finding; try to follow cairns where you can find them, but offline maps will be your best friend there. I saw a few groups getting way off the trail, although getting lost is unlikely.

Climb to Headlee Pass is atrocious, that’s it. Rocks from hikers above are common, so if you have a helmet, you might want to use it there.

Past the pass, the trail soon turns into alpine wonderland. I didn’t check Vesper Lake out closely, but from above quite a few campers were seen. The lake still has some ice. Outflow of the lake is also one of the last reliable water sources; there’re minor streams higher up but this one flows strong and full.

Past the lake, another strenuous climb begins, with some loose soil or mud sections posing extra risk for unwelcome glissading. Scramble to the peak is not much technical, but some basic experience or common sense are needed to find the safest way on granite slopes.

Finally, reaching the peak is probably the most beautiful reveal in the Cascades. You can’t see Copper Lake until the very last step, but when you finally see it, all pain just goes away. It’s an amazing moment. Even if I can’t walk to my fridge tomorrow. Seeing people’s reaction when reaching the peak was as good as the view itself. As beautiful as it is, backdrop of several hundred feet is no joke, so caution should be used while intaking the beauty. The peak gets crowded easily (“Quite a party here!” - climber who just reached the peak from the climbers route), but solitude can be found if you descend a bit along the edge.

On the opposite side from Vesper Peak, there’s a secondary peak that can also be climbed easily for better views of Vesper Lake and the Cascades to the southeast of it. I was almost heading down from Vesper when curiosity won over shaking legs, and I decided to add this extra elevation gain to my exercise.

Hike out is just a pure knee killer, but hey, you just saw probably one of the most awe-inspiring views in the state.

Stats & Crowds

Quite a few folks, but never too crowded, and everyone was super courteous.

Timing:

• Total: about 6.5 hours
• TH to the pass: 1 h 40 min / 2.3 mi
• Headlee Pass to Vesper Peak: 1 h 15 min / 1 mi
• At the peak: 1 h 10 min
• Detour to the secondary peak: 22 min
• Vesper Peak to Headlee Pass: 46 min
• Pass to TH: 1 h 14 min

Trail was good. There is not many shady spots. Got really hot on the way out. I screwed up and went right up the peak. Don’t do that. Beautiful scenery all the way up.

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We noted some rough terrain on top, restricting folks in sneakers from getting up the upper ridges. Snow starts around 5500ft and gets very steep. You can stick to rocks but those were quite steep so I recommend bringing a helmet. Cheers!

Echoing some of the previous comments here:

• Make sure you have an adequate water supply. It is a long hike and takes several hours. It all depends on your pace, physical level, and how much weight you are carrying. One can get dehydrated easily. 
• Do make note of the trails as you can end up off-trail and waste time. Majority of them are obvious but some are not. 
• Once you get to the top, there is still a good portion of the area covered in snow before you can reach the peak. Some will use traction on their shoes or snowshoes to hike up. Others will use the surrounding boulders to climb and hike up. 
• The peak does have an amazing 360 panoramic view.
• Be careful when coming down from the peak. Some will simply slide on the snow on their bottoms for a faster method to go down. Others will use the same methods as previously mentioned to go down. 

Morning and afternoon up to Vesper! Sorta last minute as we had to pivot away from our plans due to fires.

Hiking guide says 8 miles. That makes sense to me when there is no snow and the final mile has more switchbacks to it. Right now, a little less than the final mile is covered in slushy snow, so you take it straight up. We ended the day with a little more than 4000 in gain and 6.7 miles.

Drove up in a low-clearance which was totally fine - some sharp rocks.

Here are some updates on conditions since previous reports: stream crossings in the beginning are not really a problem. There are natural ways to cross without getting your shoes wet. No snow until you are at the Vesper Lake outflow creek. Then, minor snowfields… until you have the last mile to the top, which is snow covered.

We saw people with ice axes, helmets, and various spikes. We felt comfortable and safe getting to the top in the slushy, steep snow without spikes or gear. I think the ice axes and helmets are useful if a.) you want them to feel safer for your own risk tolerance, b.) you’re doing more than just Vesper Peak, or c.) you plan on glissading down and want some safety gear. On our way down, I put on my micro spikes but my hiking partner didn’t have any additional gear on and felt good. I probably didn’t need my spikes either. We both glissaded during short, safe runs.

Bugs were pretty annoying in places and definitely out and about at the top. But there was also bug freedom on the trail.

Commentary on trail overall: you get a bit of everything on this hike! Forest, exposed meadows, boulder/talus fields, switchbacks, are up in the alpine. And so many fast people going up at all times of the day! In my opinion, not a lot of this hike can be done at my own personal cruising speed. I found that I had to think about my footing and consider what my next move or two was ahead of time, which makes for slower going, due to the various trail conditions — big steps, windy talus fields, slide-y switchbacks. Reminder to download an offline map to make sure you’re on trail!

Beautiful views even on this smoky, grey day we did it. We could see the smoke plumes from fires near Darrington. Could see Glacier Peak and Baker and so much more!