During the airplane’s descent, we had a great view of Mount Rainier from outside our window.Ģ. Stop by the Marblemount Ranger Station to submit an application.ġ. Permits for this hike are limited and issued on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are looking to explore the North Cascades, this hike is an instant classic you can’t afford to miss. The final scramble to the highpoint is blocky Class 3.ĭistance = 3.7 miles to the notch between summits + 0.4 miles along ridge to main summit or 3.3 miles to main summit if using alternate route described above.Hidden Lake Lookout is one of our favorite overnight backpacking trips! The trail is a steep son of a gun, but 360-degree panoramic views from a historic fire lookout make it all worthwhile. From here, simply head up slope, weaving through minor rock bands as necessary, to meet the ridge crest someplace north of the summit. For this route, contour the northwest slope (trail or snow) for less than a mile until at or just before the damped out western spur ridge is cornered. This is especially true in early season when the trail is covered anyway. It is not necessary to go all the way to the notch between the summits in order to climb the main summit. Yet another path leads to Hidden Lake to the east. A scramble path also leads north to the main summit. A scramble path leads up to the lookout on the southerly one. The trail contours the northwest slope of Hidden Lake Peaks for about a mile before ascending once again in a final push to the 6,600-ft notch between the main summit and the south summit. Most of the terrain is open country with the minimum of scrambling (Class 3 max).įrom the head of the basin the trail continuance might be known as Hidden Lake Trail (this is what it is called on the map). It is not necessary to go to this pass to climb the peak, although it is certainly a feasible route. At this point, about one hundred yards beyond where the trail begins contouring south, a bootpath winds its way up to Sibley Pas (6,040+ ft). In about 2.5 miles the trail reaches the head of the basin (c. The trail crosses to the north side of the creek and ascends some distance above it, switchbacking as necessary. The drainage and upper basin are beautiful.except for the trail itself as it cuts an unsightly "gash" up green slopes (especially when looking down the basin from above). At this point, it switches back and forth up the slope a number of times to finally emerge into the open for good. The trail up Sibley Creek intially follows an old road before immersing itself in a forest band. Some steep snow slopes should be expected. DO NOT venture up it if the danger is high.Ĭlick here to obtain the latest avalanche forecast. Warning: This trail resides in a heavy avalanche zone. I'm pretty sure trout lurk in its waters. It is not unusual for people to camp at the lake. A rough path continues from the 6,600-ft notch between the summits to the shores of the lakes. The lake is quite large for the elevation and remains frozen over until late June or early July. Hidden Lake (5,733 ft) lies in the cirque east of the main and southerly summit. Alternatively, the peak can be climbed from its north ridge. A short, easy scramble and/or bootpath to the summit leads from the notch on the south. The other summit is the southerly one (Pt. However, the map shows the labeling for this peak extending to the northerly summit (Pt. 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. There are three "summits" for the mountain massif. Hidden Lake on the east is within the park. The approach and trail on the west side of the peak are not in the park. Further, the peak lies on the border of North Cascades National Park. 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. A small, shallow tarn a quarter-mile north of Hidden Lake could hardly be called a lake. It is incorrect to call the mountain Hidden Lakes Peak, as many do. 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. This mountain (one massif despite the plural name) has long been absent on summitpost.
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