Above was taken from the summit of Trappers Peak, North Cascades, WA, photo credit to Summitpost, "gimpilator".
Scramble Leader: Craig Blanton
Sponsoring Leader: Mike Pennington
Come join us for a dose of the spectacular views at Trappers Peak & Hidden Lake in the Northern Cascades July 29th- August 1st/2nd.
We will travel north to Arlington, Wa on Wednesday July 29th. Departure will be determined as things come together for the group and carpooling. We will Spend the night at an inexpensive hotel Wednesday evening in Arlington. We will have to get to the Marblemount Ranger Station bright and early to get a pass to camp at Thornton Lakes Campground. Making our way to Thornton lakes we will set up camp Thursday July 30th and scramble other areas time permitting. Friday Morning we will summit Trappers Peak spending as much time as we can enjoying the views.
We will descend to the trail head and make our way to a hotel or campsite yet to be determined for Friday evening. Saturday we will travel a short distance to the Hidden Lakes trail head and day hike to the summit. I anticipate being back at the trail head Saturday afternoon so those who want to travel back can. I will most likely stay over and head back Sunday morning.
Trappers Peak Overview:
Trappers Peak is what some hikers might call low-hanging-fruit, with it's relatively easy access and spectacular views of the North Cascades. It makes an excellent choice for a day trip but it can also be combined with a night at Thornton Lakes or other peaks such as nearby X Mountain, Thornton Peak, or Mount Triumph.
The standard route makes use of the Thornton Lakes trail and then branches off to follow the south ridge of the peak. There is some mild exposure but only a few class 3 moves are required to reach the summit. Bears and berries are commonly encountered in the summer months. Only experienced climbers should attempt a winter ascent.
Standard Route - South Ridge
The trail starts off with a very gentle grade with a couple of creek crossings as you make your way through forest for 2.3 miles. Ascend steadily climbing switchbacks for the next couple of miles. The trail then begins to mellow out a bit as you traverse some alpine meadows chock full of blueberry bushes. Near the ridge top, watch for a boot path branching off to the right to Trappers Peak. The main trail goes left down to the campsites at the lake.
The trail down to the lake is a knee bashing descent of just over half a mile down to the only real obstacle you'll meet on the whole trail. There are some huge, down-sloping boulders and a log jam to negotiate before you can finally drop your pack at camp, 5.2 miles from the trailhead.
The boot path to Trappers Peak ascends about 1000 feet along a beautiful ridge/blueberry buffet that offers beautiful views of the lakes, Triumph, Despair, Forbidden, Torment, the Pickets and everything in between. a few easy class 3 moves along a semi-knife-edge keep things interesting and before you know it, you're on top. For those who plan to continue on to X Mountain, keep in mind it's not as bad as it looks.
Red Tape / Camping
Pick up a permit at the Marblemount Ranger Station if you plan to stay overnight. They also have a voluntary climber's registry. There are only 3 camp sites at Thornton Lakes so arrive early if you want a permit on the weekend. The campsite at lower Thornton Lake has a composting toilet. Be sure to hang your food.
Hidden Lakes Overview:
This mountain (one massif despite the plural name) has long been absent on summitpost. I'm not sure why, as it is a summit that would fit well onto the site: it is a popular objective, it is a superlative viewpoint, it can be skied, it has a lookout (a permanent tent-type lookout erected in 1931), and can be climbed in a reasonably short day. It is incorrect to call the mountain Hidden Lakes Peak, as many do. There is really only one lake of note. A small, shallow tarn a quarter-mile north of Hidden Lake could hardly be called a lake.
Hidden Lake Peak(s) is located wholly within the Cascade River drainage 14 miles east of Marblemount at the hub of where the valley makes a pronounced bend counterclockwise. Further, the peak lies on the border of North Cascades National Park. The approach and trail on the west side of the peak are not in the park. Hidden Lake on the east is within the park.
There are three "summits" for the mountain massif. The association of one of these is tenuous because it lies north of Sibley Pass (6,060 ft), the natural dividing line between the massif and the continuing ridge eastward to The Triad. However, the map shows the labeling for this peak extending to the northerly summit (Pt. 6480+). I personally wouldn't include Pt. 6480+ as one of the Hidden Lake peaks. The other summit is the southerly one (Pt. 6890) where the lookout is located. The trail goes to this summit. The main summit is Pk 7088 (1008P). A short, easy scramble and/or bootpath to the summit leads from the notch on the south. Alternatively, the peak can be climbed from its north ridge.
Hidden Lake (5,733 ft) lies in the cirque east of the main and southerly summit. The lake is quite large for the elevation and remains frozen over until late June or early July. A rough path continues from the 6,600-ft notch between the summits to the shores of the lakes. It is not unusual for people to camp at the lake. I'm pretty sure trout lurk in its waters.
https://www.summitpost.org/hidden-lake-peaks/153469
area topo map:
https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=48.50653,-121.21437&z=14&b=t