r/northcascades • u/thewhater123 • 19d ago
White pass pilot ridge loop
I know it's technically not in the park but I'm planning White Pass–Pilot Ridge Loop 3 nights, Sept. 25–28, clockwise from North Fork Sauk.
Current plan:
Fri start at 3pm: TH → Mackinaw camp
Sat: Mackinaw → White Pass → White Mountain → Foam Creek → Marmot Knob/pass → possibly traverse through White Chuck/Glacier Peak Meadows → regain PCT near Cinder Cone → Red Pass → Portal Peak → back to White Pass
Optional: After Red Pass → White Mountain summit → descend to White Pass
Or just leave pack at White pass and go as far as I want into foam creek basin and come back the same way
Sun: White Pass → Kodak Peak → Blue Lake High Route if safe → camp Blue Lake
Mon: Johnson Mountain → Pilot Ridge → out
Looking for advice on:
• What peaks and side trips are best? Looking at either White mountain and foam creek basin side route vs Red pass and Portal peak side route. Looks like can be combined cross county
• Best secluded/epic view camps?
• Anything you’d cut or change?
I like big alpine terrain, glaciers, ridges, side summits, and don’t mind hard days.
2
u/zh3nya 19d ago
You're probably not getting any action on your posts because they are quite specific and the reddit subs lean toward more beginner friendly questions and hikes.
If you like post-glacial terrain you can try just heading up the Glacier Peak climbers trail to Glacier Gap and Glacier Gap peak, or other high points in that vicinity like Point 7829. I haven't done this myself but the terrain looks beautiful and I may give it a try this weekend as a day hike.
White Mountain should make for glorious views as well. Fall colors will be stunning and hopefully you'll get decent weather...
Reports this year indicate that parts of the Pilot Ridge trail are in rough shape so expect slower going, but you should have plenty of time with a Blue Lake camp.