Glacier Peak Wilderness trek

Visiting the 566,430-acre Glacier Peak Wilderness is a remote experience no matter how you approach it. Glacier Peak, elevation 10,541 feet is the fourth highest mountain in Washington and the most remote of the state’s five active volcanoes. These photos show the famously rugged and diverse landscape Spokane Mountaineers savored Aug. 9-12, 2013, in a classic four-day loop of nearly 50 miles including side trips (see story). The trek started at Trinity Trailhead (near Lake Wenatchee) to Buck Creek Pass, out to Image Lake, back over Cloudy Pass and past Lyman Lakes. From there it went up and over Spider Gap before descending through Spider Meadow to Phelps Trailhead (followed by a three-mile road hike back to Trinity). The loop is beautiful AND it's tough with considerable elevation gain and loss. In some conditions, ice axes and even crampons are required for safety in descending the snowfields at Spider Gap. The route is described in several hiking guidebooks. Most of the route, with the exception of a stretch to Image Lake, is shown on Holden Map 113 by Green Trails. Enjoy this armchair tour of photos and captions by Outdoors editor Rich Landers.

Section:Gallery

Sat., Aug. 17, 2013

A backpacker hikes near Buck Creek Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness with the namesake volcano, elevation 10,541 feet, in the background.

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Samantha Journot, left, and Holly Weiler of the Spokane Mountaineers enter the Glacier Peak Wilderness from Trinity Trailhead, heading up Buck Creek.

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Holly Weiler pauses for photos of Glacier Peak at the trail junction above Buck Creek Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Holly Weiler of the Spokane Mountaineers hikes the trail to Flower Dome near Buck Creek Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Fortress Mountain is in the background. Weiler is wearing a head het for a respite from pesky black flies.

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Lupine blooms in profusion along Flower Dome near Buck Creek Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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A paintbrush blooms high in the Glacier Peak Wilderness on a mountain aptly named Flower Dome, with Glacier Peak in the background.

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A late afternoon dayhike up toward Liberty Cap from Buck Creek Pass campsites in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Alpine anemone (pasqueflower) is eye-catching as a "mop head" after its petals have fallen off along the route to Liberty Cap from Buck Creek Pass campsites in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Glacier Peak as seen during a late afternoon dayhike up toward Liberty Cap from Buck Creek Pass campsites in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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On Day 2, Samantha Journot crosses one of several creeks in the Small Creek drainage heading toward Middle Ridge in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. These crossings can be testy when runoff is still high early in the hiking season.

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After crossing Middle Ridge, the route begins dropping toward Miners Creek and the Pacific Crest Trail in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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From Middle Ridge in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, hikers can look north across the Miners Creek drainage to the open slopes of Miners Ridge. Image lake and the Miners Ridge Lookout are out of sight off the ridge to the left of the photo. The trail to Image Lake angles up and to the left near the top of the treeline.

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After two days of backpacking into the Glacier Peak Wilderness to reach Image Lake, Holly Weiler of Spokane cools off with a swim.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
After two days of backpacking into the Glacier Peak Wilderness to reach Image Lake, Holly Weiler of Spokane cools off with a swim.

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From Trail 785 to Image Lake, hikers in mid-afternoon could see the early signs of major thunderstorms beginning to build over Glacier Peak. The storms would later pound the Glacier Peak Wilderness area with thunder and hail.

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A thunder storm in the Glacier Peak Wilderness dumped hail that flowed like glacial rivers of ice down the slopes and trails on Aug. 10, 2013. Even after hours of rain overnight, hail stones remained in profusion the next morning near Image Lake.

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Glacier Peak, elevation 10,541 feet, is a backdrop for Image Lake in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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A blacktail deer scopes out campers at Image Lake in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Backpackers dry out their gear at their Image Lake-area campsite the morning after powerful thunderstorms pounded the Glacier Peak Wilderness with lightning, hail and rain.

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A dusky grouse stands guard over chicks near Image Lake in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, with Glacier Peak beaming in the morning sun.

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Hikers dayhike from Image Lake to the Miners Ridge Lookout in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Hikers dayhike from Image Lake to the Miners Ridge Lookout in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. This photo looks back at the trail from the lookout.

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Hikers Holly Weiler, left, and Samantha Journot hiked from Image Lake to the Miners Ridge Lookout in the Glacier Peak Wilderness to enjoy this view of Glacier Peak from the fire lookout catwalk.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Hikers day hiked from Image Lake to the Miners Ridge Lookout in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Holly Weiler pauses to pick delicious lowbush huckleberies along the trail during a day hike from Image Lake to the Miners Ridge Lookout in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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On Day 3, the hikers broke camp and continued their loop trip by ascending from Image Lake to the Miners Ridge trail toward the Pacific Crest Trail and Suiattle Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Hoary marmots use shrill whistles to warn other family members of danger. Holly Weiler said they sounded like "a group of construction workers" as she hiked on the trail below in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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The Pacific Crest Trail heads down the South Fork Agnes Creek Drainage toward Stehekin below Sitting Bull Mountain in the Glacier Peak Wilderness as pictured here. But the hiking route the Spokane Mountaineers used for this loop trip branched off from the PCT just below Suiattle Pass and headed east (right) to Cloudy Pass and Lyman Lake.

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Hikers head up through the talus eastward toward Cloudy Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Holly Weiler of the Spokane Mountaineers hikes at Cloudy Pass during a backpacking trek in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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From Cloudy Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, the Spokane Mountaineers hikers could see the route they would take the next morning, ascending from camp at Lyman Lake to Upper Lyman Lake, skirting left of the Lyman Glacier and up the snowfield through Spider Gap, the low notch on the horizon.

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Cooking dinner at Lyman Lake camp in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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On Day 4, Spokane Mountaineers cross the log bridge over the outlet stream as they leave their camp at Lyman Lake and head to Upper Lyman Lake and Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Shrubs were wet after an evening of rain in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, soaking hikers' pants and boots --inside and out -- if gaiters were not worn for protection.

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Lyman Lake from the trail heading to Upper Lyman Lake in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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The trail from Lyman Lake to Upper Lyman Lake ascends a scenic basin and ridge in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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The trail from Lyman Lake to Upper Lyman Lake ascends a scenic basin and ridge in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
The trail from Lyman Lake to Upper Lyman Lake ascends a scenic basin and ridge in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Holly Weiler and Samantha Journot of the Spokane Mountaineers hike past a tarn in the basin along Upper Lyman Lake en route to Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Holly Weiler and Samantha Journot of the Spokane Mountaineers hike through the rocky rubble in the basin below Lyman Glacier along Upper Lyman Lake en route to Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Holly Weiler, left, and Samantha Journot of the Spokane Mountaineers climb past Lyman Glacier as they head toward Spider Gap to complete their loop backpacking trek in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Spokane Mountaineers climb from Upper Lyman Lake toward Spider Gap to complete their loop backpacking trek in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Cloudy Pass is in the background along the green, treeless ridge below the distant jagged peaks.

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A wildflower garden grows along the creek below the snowfield leading to Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Pink monkeyflower blooms in profusion along the creek flowing into Upper Lyman Lake from the Spider Gap snowfield in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Holly Weiler and Samantha Journot of the Spokane Mountaineers hike up the snowfield to Spider Gap to connect with a trail that will complete their loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Spokane Mountaineers begin hiking down the snowfield on the east side of Spider Gap to connect with Phelps Creek Trail 1511 through Spider Meadows to complete their loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Spokane Mountaineers begin hiking down the snowfield on the east side of Spider Gap to connect with Phelps Creek Trail 1511 through Spider Meadows to complete their loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Holly Weiler and Samantha Journot of the Spokane Mountaineers have a little fun during a sitting glissade down a steeper section of the snowfield on the east side of Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Waterfalls pour down to the snowfield on the east side of Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Samantha Journot of the Spokane Mountaineers descends a snowfield from Spider Gap toward Spider Meadows during her loop backpacking trek in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Holly Weiler and Samantha Journot of the Spokane Mountaineers connect with Trail 1511 on the east side of Spider Gap to head down southward through Spider Meadows and complete their loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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The ragged ridge of Seven Fingered Jack resembles a serrated knife edge.
Phelps Creek Trail 1511 is a series of cliff-hanging switchbacks as it drops from Spider Gap toward Spider Meadows in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Phelps Creek Trail 1511 is a series of cliff-hanging switchbacks as it drops from Spider Gap toward Spider Meadows in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Holly Weiler of the Spokane Mountaineers enters the top end of Spider Meadow after descending from Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Holly Weiler of the Spokane Mountaineers hikes through Spider Meadow after descending from Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Spider Gap is the first notch to the upper left of the waterfall in the background. Trail 1511 switchbacks down through the rock cliffs and greenery to the right of the waterfall before entering the trees and breaking into the meadow.

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Crimson columbine, above, as well as huckleberry and other plants grace the trail in the long forested section of Trail 1511 below Spider Meadows in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Most of the trail is on an old road bed to the Phelps Trailhead. Hikers can leave a shuttle vehicle or bicycle here or continue walking the three miles down to the Trinity Trailhead to complete a loop that ranges from 33-50 miles depending on side trips.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Outdoors editor Rich Landers makes the sun shades on his had flap in the wind as he enjoys a boot-skiing glissade down the snowfield on the east side of Spider Gap in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Note that he wears a lightweight long-sleeve shirt and pants while hiking for effortless skin protection from biting insects and the sun.

Holly Weiler