One can easily say that Washington State holds some of the most beautiful, untouched, and rugged terrain in all of North America. At breakfast one could wake up on a driftwood littered beach on the coastline of a temperate rainforest, and by dinner be jumping into a glacial lake of the high Cascade peaks. With some of the most amazing wildlife covered landscapes and best backpacking in Washington and even in the United States, one can spend the rest of their lives trying to explore and conquer all of this untouched terrain. But just a warning, around every corner there will always be something more mind blowing than the last.

Beautiful wildflower-filled scenery along the trail while hiking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Cascades.

The Plan

A friend and I decided to explore the pristine Alpine Lakes Wilderness region of this range with a planned hike spread out over three days, two nights, and 30 hiked miles reaching nearly 8,000 feet of maximum elevation, with plans to visit Cathedral Pass, Deep Lake, Peggy’s Pond, and lastly a hike to the eastern peak of Mt. Daniel. After a 6.5-hour flight from JFK in New York to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and after months of planning, the trip finally began. Once settled with our rental car and after a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a few essentials, we were only a quick 2 hour drive from the Cathedral Pass Trailhead, located a short ways down the stunning Forest Service Road 4330 which will mesmerizingly take you deep into the wilderness through valleys and on mountainsides away from any cell reception and civilization. We left our car at the trailhead, paying the fee providing money for trail maintenance in the surrounding area. That evening we slept at the trailhead and at 4:30 a.m. the next morning, with our shoes tied tight, packs on our backs, and walking sticks in hand we began our journey.

An Alpine Lakes Wilderness Backpacking Trip Begins

The path began with a 4.5-mile hike to Cathedral Pass. This trail takes you on a tough journey beginning with a series of long, seemingly endless switchbacks. Once the switchbacks end after about 2.5 miles you are brought to your first glacial lake at 4850 feet offering a great spot for a break after the initial climb. The next two miles of trail begin to take you out of the woods and place you in more open terrain with plenty of smaller creatures and amazing wildflowers. As the elevation gain slows and the terrain continues to open up Cathedral Pass is then reached. Most of the people who backpack here continue on about another 1.5 miles for a basecamp, but many beautiful hidden campsites abound, so don’t be afraid to take a look around. In the shadow of the massive Cathedral Rock, between a series of small glacial ponds on the edge of a 5,600’ set of cliffs overlooking the valleys below, we found the most incredible area without a soul in sight; true mountain serenity. We setup camp, made lunch, and took a long break before packing daypacks and continuing on with our plan for the day, just before noon.

Our original idea was to hike to Peggy’s Pond, then head to Mt. Daniel around sunset, hoping to catch some beautiful evening light, but our hike wouldn’t go as planned The trail to Peggy’s Pond and a trail to Deep Lake intersect with one another, Peggy’s Pond goes right, and Deep Lake goes left. So right we went. The Peggy’s Pond Trail is a high road around the upper half of Cathedral Peak that takes you right along the mountain’s edge about 800’ from the top. Because this trail is so high it is mostly made of loose gravel, which makes staying on the trail very, very difficult at some points. Along the Peggy’s Pond Trail there comes a point where you gaze down a 3000’ rock scramble to the massive glacial lake below, Deep Lake. Around this point the Peggy’s Pond Trail seems to vanish as well, so someone unfamiliar to these parts, as we were, might think that body of water must be Peggy’s Pond. Down we went, over loose gravel and though shrubs to a field of short grass and rocky beaches surrounding the lake.

We were now 2 hours past camp, and the temperature reached about 98 degrees. After bushwhacking and the difficult climb down we reached the lake, only to discover no traces of human activity and grass chest high in length. “I thought Peggy’s Pond was a very popular spot, where is everyone?” Vincent asked. “How does anyone do this hike? People from Washington are of a different breed if this is a normal day hike.” We each drank heavily to quench the thirst we’d acquired getting here, and still thinking we had reached our true destination we began to enjoy the sapphire blue crystal clear waters, of what was really Deep Lake.

We swam for hours, then filtered water for the hike back. Making our way through the tall grass to the uncharted side of Deep Lake we discovered a series of waterfalls and creeks running into the lake from the glacial covered mountains above; truly a spectacular sight. After 4 hours at the lake, and not seeing a single other hiker we began to realize we were not at Peggy’s Pond at all, and came to the conclusion that we went off trail and hiked down Cathedral Mountain to the side that goes mostly unvisited. So now the big question, can we walk around and take the trails back up on the other side? We could not, unless we wanted to bushwhack for another 2 miles and search through the forest for an unmarked trail back to camp. So back up the scramble we went.

An unmarked, 3000’ scramble hoping to find a small gravel trail back to camp in 98 degree weather was extremely difficult to say the least. Up we went, catching our breath every 25 feet, loose gravel giving way from under our feet as we climbed. We aimed for a small patch of dead trees that we’d seen along the trail. The higher we climbed the looser the gravel. An hour later we stumbled upon a small area of overhanging cliffs, the toughest part of our scramble. When we reached the top all hope was lost – all that could be seen was more loose gravel without a defined trail. For 10 minutes we rested. Then a massive smile came across Vincent’s face, and looking up I saw a family of three walking towards us. Little did we know we were sitting just 10 feet below the hidden trail. We began laughing hysterically, hopped up, and walked an easy mile back to camp. Once there we swam in some of the smaller glacial ponds, then finished our evening with a well deserved Mountain House freeze-dried burrito in a bag and we watched the sunset from our camp’s 5600’ cliffside view. This was just the first day, and all we could ponder was what else the wilderness and our trip had in store.

The next morning, the 4th of July, we woke early, sore and barely able to move but ready for our next adventure. Mt. Daniel’s east peak was the goal for the second day, with a long trek back to the car to follow after our peak exploring was over. Our hike began again on the same trail as the day prior; it was time to find Peggy’s Pond for real this time. We followed the trail up the mountain, hopeful to find the correct route. Ascending we quickly came to the vanishing point of the trail again, and after some searching we found a small footpath that led back to the main trail. The trick we determined was to climb up the rock formation on the higher elevated side of trail, instead of following the passage down, even though it seems like the correct route. Finally we passed our speed bump and were on our way. After walking on the gravel trail placed on the side of Cathedral Rock for around half a mile we came to a small wooded area, the trail then moving into wide open grassland holding a beautiful small glacial lake. We had reached Peggy’s Pond. With Mt. Daniel in our sights however, we trekked right past the beautiful blue water, planning to stop on the way back to camp instead.

Up we began, first through a small wooded area on a faint trail no wider than a small game trail. After 45 minutes of non-stop uphill bushwhacking we eventually broke out of the trees. Here we could see all of Mt. Daniel’s glacial covered face and beautiful meadows lead our eyes to the intense ridgeline we would follow to the eastern peak. We continued upward, resting and reapplying sunblock at regular intervals. The climb was intense, but for an in-shape hiker it was certainly doable, and it only seemed to become more beautiful with each foot of elevation gained. The grassy areas were littered with life; marmots, rabbits, squirrels, mountain goats, and wildflowers stretched in every direction; it was stunning. Although we could have stayed in the meadows all day, enjoying the views, we had a goal in mind. We were halfway there. Again, up we went. At around 9:30 a.m. we reached the ridgeline that would lead us directly towards the eastern peak. Normally in early summer there’s still a large amount of snow remaining on Mt. Daniel, but luckily it had been a light snow year.

After some technical sections, the eastern peak provided views of 5 volcanic mountains in Washington State and glacial lakes as far as the eye can see. We did it, nearly 8000 feet above sea level with views of Venus and Spade Lakes, tons of other glacial lakes, various glaciers, and volcanic peaks. Could there really be a better way to celebrate Independence Day other than views like this? I think not.

We took in the stunning views and enjoyed our accomplishment for hours. Then Vinny and I (as well as two friends we made on the peak) headed back down at around 4 p.m., with intentions of cooling off in Peggy’s Pond. The way down was as spectacular as the way up, but this time with an added glow as the sun moved towards the horizon and began to set. The trek back was filled with laughter and smiles, a complete opposite of the huffing and puffing miserable faces that were the norm on the hike up. The way down took a quarter of the time the way up had, giving us plenty of time to enjoy a nice swim at Peggy’s Pond.

The Hike Out

Before we knew it we were back at camp having our last meal in the Cascades and packing up to head down. We hiked out late, making the majority of our downhill hike back during sunset, but we still had to walk a solid hour with headlamps on in complete darkness. But once out of the Cascades Vinny and I could not have been happier with the strength that we had showed and what we had completed.

The Cascade Mountains of Washington State are one of the most rugged and beautiful destinations in the United States, and make for an excellent backpacking destination allowing hikers to experience a wide variety of mountain terrain even on limited time. Around every corner there will always be something more amazing than the last. Your feet can take you to some incredible places, let the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington State be one you’ll never forget. I know we won’t.

Need to Know

Information

Overnight permits: Self paid at the trailhead, bring a pen or pencil because one was not available at the permit station. Parking permit: Self paid for at the trailhead, display on dashboard.

Best Time to Go

Late June - early September.

Getting There

Drive on I-90 east from Snoqualmie Pass or west from Ellensburg and take Exit 80. From exit 80 go north through Roslyn and Ronald and toward Salmon la Sac, which is about 16 miles from Roslyn. Turn right on Forest Road 4330 (no you did not pass it, it is all the way at the end of the road and well-marked) and drive another 12.3 miles to near the end of the dirt road. The trailhead parking lot for Cathedral Pass will be on the left hand side just before the road ends, the road ends at another trailhead for Hyas Lake-Deception Pass, this can also be used as an overflow parking lot, as they are directly next to each other.

Maps

Trails Illustrated 825 - Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Books

Backpacking Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness: The Longer Trails as well as Day Hikes and Easy Overnights by Jeff Smoot.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor James Parascandola originally appeared in Issue 27 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.