Spider Meadow to Buck Creek Pass Loop, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington
Sierra Club Outings Trip | Backpack
Highlights
- Visit the most beautiful areas in the North Cascades
- See wildflower meadows, glaciers, peaks, and passes
- Enjoy a layover day for further exploration
Includes
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Camping and permit fees
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Tasty and nutritious backcountry meals
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Group commissary, bear canisters, and cooking gear
Overview
The Trip
The Glacier Peak Wilderness is one of the largest and most renowned wilderness areas in Washington. Because the area is primarily roadless, access is practically limited to serious backcountry users. Our route through the wilderness will take us through both the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests.
You'll experience a matchless wilderness area, replete with some of Washington's most beautiful and majestic sights: glaciers, meadows, tumbling streams, quiet lakes, towering massive peaks, and virgin forest
The Trip
The Glacier Peak Wilderness is one of the largest and most renowned wilderness areas in Washington. Because the area is primarily roadless, access is practically limited to serious backcountry users. Our route through the wilderness will take us through both the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests.
You'll experience a matchless wilderness area, replete with some of Washington's most beautiful and majestic sights: glaciers, meadows, tumbling streams, quiet lakes, towering massive peaks, and virgin forest.
The Glacier Peak Wilderness has a reputation for being one of the most challenging sections of the Pacific Crest Trail due to the broad valleys and climbs up and down the dramatic ridges. Your hike in this region will involve lots of elevation gains and losses, but the rewards will make you forget the climbs. You will start at a lower elevation, hiking through virgin forest, then climb into subalpine meadows, where you may spot ripe huckleberries and blueberries to sample. We will cover a supreme collection of the area's trails, most featured in every guidebook to the region.
One of the trip's many highlights will be the rugged, snow-capped Glacier Peak. A side trip to Image Lake will provide a chance to see firsthand the classic sunset and sunrise view of Glacier Peak reflected in Image Lake.
Our itinerary is arranged so that the daily hikes will average around eight miles per day. We designed our trip route and carefully chose the campsites for their scenic landscape qualities; photographic opportunities abound. Even if you're not a photographer, the beautiful images of nature's composition will remain with you for years.
Itinerary
The majority of our trip will be on maintained trails within the national forests, including one layover day, allowing great opportunities for further explorations without the burden of a heavy pack. For a portion of the second day, our hike will involve cross-country travel off the trail on ice and snow. Our itinerary is tentative and subject to change based on weather and trail conditions, along with the ability, health, and fitness levels of other participants in the group. The total mileage for this outing will be around 45 trail miles with packs.
Day 1: Early in the morning, we will meet at a pre-arranged location in Leavenworth, Washington to assemble the group, distribute the group gear and, drive to the trailhead
The majority of our trip will be on maintained trails within the national forests, including one layover day, allowing great opportunities for further explorations without the burden of a heavy pack. For a portion of the second day, our hike will involve cross-country travel off the trail on ice and snow. Our itinerary is tentative and subject to change based on weather and trail conditions, along with the ability, health, and fitness levels of other participants in the group. The total mileage for this outing will be around 45 trail miles with packs.
Day 1: Early in the morning, we will meet at a pre-arranged location in Leavenworth, Washington to assemble the group, distribute the group gear and, drive to the trailhead. The trip officially begins in the parking area at our starting point, the Phelps Creek Trail. Before starting our adventure, we will shuttle cars between the Phelps Creek trailhead and our exit point, the Chiwawa River trailhead.
Afterward, we will start our hike on the Phelps Creek Trail at 3,500 feet, climbing through an old-growth forest to Spider Meadow and crossing into the Wilderness in about four miles. We will continue down Spider Meadow and camp below Spider Gap. Today's hike will cover about five miles with an elevation gain around 1,300 feet. Because we will be carrying full packs, this will be a challenging day so we will need to get an early start on the trail.
Day 2: Today, we will be hiking up through Spider Gap, the highest point on the trip, then down to Upper and Lower Lyman Lake. It will total around 8.5 miles. The climb to Spider Gap and descent to the Lyman Lakes will be off trail and involve cross-country travel on rocks, snow, and ice. Depending on conditions, this portion of the hike may require some extra time and care. We will camp at one of the campsites along the trail about a mile past Lower Lyman Lake on the way toward Cloudy Pass. If time permits, we can take a side trip to Lyman Falls.
Day 3: We will start our hike today ascending around 1,000 feet up to scenic Cloudy Pass. We will have views of Railroad Creek Valley, the canyon of the South Fork of Agnes Creek and Sitting Bull Mountain. Next, we will descend down the trail, pass a few junctions and start down the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) to climb up to Suiattle Pass. From the pass, we will have even more panoramic views of Fortress Mountain, Miners Creek Canyon, and the area around Glacier Peak. From there, we descend a bit from where we leave the PCT and take a side trail off the main loop to our next campsite at Lady Camp just about a mile short of Image Lake. If time permits after we set up camp, we will take a side trip to Image Lake and the Miners Ridge Lookout. With our packs on, we should cover approximately eight miles and climb about 2,300 feet for the day, not including the side trip.
Day 4: This morning you will want to be up early to experience the sunrise on Glacier Peak from the area around Image Lake. Afterward, we will have breakfast and then head back to our main loop trail. From there, we will descend along the PCT for a few miles before we leave it and start climbing up toward Middle Ridge. We will take a side trail a mile from the main loop trail to an alpine camp along Fortress Mountain. The total distance for the day will be around 9.3 miles.
Day 5: Today, we will hike from Middle Ridge to Buck Creek Pass to a camp with views of icy Glacier Peak, Helmet Butte, and Liberty Cap. From the campsite, we have about a four-mile hike, with both an elevation gain and loss of 1,000 feet. After setting up camp at Buck Creek Pass, we will climb without our packs up Flower Dome. There we'll have a lupine paradise and a commanding view of Glacier Peak across a dramatic valley, along with sweeping vistas that on a clear day extend all the way to the Olympics. The side trip is about 0.7 miles each way from Buck Creek Pass.
Day 6: This will be our layover day with plenty of time for further explorations without the burden of our packs. From Buck Creek Pass, we will hike about 3 miles down a path across the flank of Liberty Cap just a half mile short of High Pass for beautiful views of Triad Lake and the Triad Valley. Afterwards, we will return to our camp at Buck Creek Pass.
Day 7: This will be the last day of our trip. Our route today will follow the Chiwawa River 10 miles downhill to our waiting shuttle vehicles near the Chiwawa River Trailhead and the Phelps Creek Campground. We should expect to be back at the trailhead by 2 p.m. At the conclusion of the outing, participants are invited to join the leaders for a farewell dinner in Leavenworth (at your own expense).
Logistics
Getting There
The closest major airport is the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. It is approximately 125 miles from Leavenworth, Washington. In good traffic, it takes about two and a half hours for the drive from Seattle to Leavenworth. The trip leaders will provide a roster and encourage you to make ridesharing arrangements with other participants. Detailed directions to Leavenworth and the trailhead will be provided for approved participants. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader
Getting There
The closest major airport is the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. It is approximately 125 miles from Leavenworth, Washington. In good traffic, it takes about two and a half hours for the drive from Seattle to Leavenworth. The trip leaders will provide a roster and encourage you to make ridesharing arrangements with other participants. Detailed directions to Leavenworth and the trailhead will be provided for approved participants. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.
Accommodations and Food
There are many excellent lodging options available in Leavenworth, Washington. Feel free to contact the trip leader for more information on pre- and post-trip lodging.
During the trip, we will be preparing some vegetarian meals, but others may contain beef, chicken, or fish. However, we can easily accommodate vegetarians when a meal includes meat. On most nights, our dinners will include hot soup, a main entree, and a dessert. We will provide instant coffee, tea, and hot chocolate during breakfast and dinner. All participants are expected to assist with camp chores, including preparing and cleaning up after meals on a rotating basis.
Our first meal will be lunch on the first day on the trail and our last meal will be breakfast on the last day of the trip. However, we will have snacks back at the cars on the last day. We will eat breakfast before leaving camp each morning and have lunch on the trail. Dinner will be in camp each evening.
Trip Difficulty
Due to the strenuous nature of this trip, members will be carefully screened for their previous backpacking experience and level of fitness before the trip. This will be a strenuous trip, covering 45 miles with your pack and more counting side trips. Because we will be hiking in mountainous terrain, there will be sections of the trail that will have steep drop offs. Further, the route will include substantial elevation gains and losses, stream and snowfield crossings, and the possibility of unpredictable weather. Count on climbing almost every day on the outing. Participants should come well prepared for sudden changes in the weather and potential afternoon thunderstorms.
This will be a serious wilderness trip. This outing is suitable for experienced backpackers or advanced beginners who are fit and have recent backpacking experience on week-long trips. A physical fitness regimen, especially cardiovascular training (beginning at least three months prior to the trip), is required. Although our route will primarily follow designated trails, you will find some sections challenging and will greatly appreciate the benefits of pre-trip training. As previously mentioned, a portion of the trail on the second day will involve cross-country travel across rock, snow, and ice. You will have to manage a backpack that may weigh over 40 pounds. In addition to your own personal gear, everyone is expected to carry at least another 10-15 pounds of additional weight consisting of group equipment and food.
Your enjoyment of this backpacking trip will depend on your preparedness, physical conditioning, flexibility, and most importantly, your enthusiasm.
Equipment and Clothing
The Sierra Club will provide all group cooking equipment, water purification tablets, bear canisters, group first-aid kit, and food. Each participant will need to bring his or her own personal mess kit that should include an insulated mug, a wide bowl, and spoon.
Due to the altitude and western Washington's reputation for fast changing weather, you should be prepared for both warm and sunny days or cool and inclement weather. You will need to bring warm layers, good quality rain gear, a warm sleeping bag, and a tent with a waterproof rain fly. Additionally, a well-broken-in pair of boots and a properly adjusted backpack are critical to your success and safety on this outing.
Please try to limit your personal gear to around 25 pounds. Keep in mind, group gear and food will add an additional 12 to 15 pounds of weight to your packs. Your pack will need to hold your personal gear and a bear canister, which is about the size of two one-gallon milk jugs. We encourage tent sharing whenever possible since it reduces our impact to the camping areas, along with decreasing the amount of weight that you will be carrying in your backpack.
References
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Green Trails maps: Glacier Peak, WA (#112) and Holden, WA (#113)
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USGS 7.5 minute quad topographic maps: Trinity, Holden and Clark Mountain (just inching over onto Gamma Peak)
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National Geographic – Trails Illustrated Topographic map: Glacier Peak Wilderness – Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests (#827)
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Lorain, Douglas, Backpacking Washington - From Volcanic Peaks to Rainforest Valleys. Wilderness Press.
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Romano, Craig, Backpacking Washington - Overnight and Multiday Routes. The Mountaineers Books.
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Manning, Ira and Harvey, 100 Hikes in Washington’s Glacier Peak Region. The Mountaineers Books.
Conservation
The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, and encourages grassroots involvement. Our outings seek to empower participants toward greater understanding, advocacy, and participation in the goals of the Club. We will be traveling through a road-less area, which the Sierra Club and other activists played a critical role in establishing. We will have an opportunity to experience wilderness in one of the few remaining pristine Wilderness areas in the state. During the trip, we will discuss issues impacting the areas in and around the Okanogan-Wenatchee and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie national forests. Further, we will follow Leave No Trace practices on this outing.
Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and operates under a permit obtained from the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Staff
Important Notes
- Carbon Offsets
- Carpooling
- Electronic Billing and Forms
- Electronic Devices
- Equipment
- Essential Eligibility Criteria
- How to Apply for a Trip
- Leader Gratuities
- Medical Issues
- Non-discrimination Statement
- Participant Agreement
- Seller of Travel Disclosure
- Single Supplements
- Terms and Conditions
- Travel Insurance
- Trip Feedback
- Trip Price
- Wilderness Manners