The Cascades have a reputation for long and brushy approaches, and the Pickets, a subrange in far northern Washington, have a particularly bad reputation in both respects. Even after escaping the dense vegetation, reaching many of the summits would feature more technical climbing than hiking. Together, these two factors have deterred most hikers from even contemplating a trip to this rugged and scenic area.

The Pickets' reputation is not entirely deserved: Whatcom Peak at the far northern end is an alpine hike and a short third class scramble from the trail at Whatcom Pass, and the southern Pickets have become downright popular in the last decade, with a well-beaten climbers' trail and crowds on summer weekends. Still, the central territory between Mounts Challenger and Terror remains seldom visited and therefore unspoiled.

Luna Peak

At 8,311 feet, Luna Peak is the highest point in the Pickets, lying east of their main north-south spine. Luna is not an easy peak. Visiting Luna involves hiking a long trail, fording a stream, and surviving a few miles of savage bush-whacking up into the alpine. While it can be done as a dayhike, most people will take 4-5 days. Those willing to pay the price are rewarded with solitude, near-pristine wilderness, and one of the most spectacular panoramas in the continental United States: the precipitous, heavily glaciated eastern cirques of the northern and southern Pickets.

The usual approach comes from the southeast, via Ross Lake (formerly the upper Skagit River) and Big Beaver Creek. Starting from the Ross Lake trailhead, you are immediately faced with a choice: pay for a boat shuttle, or hike 7 rolling miles along the lakeshore. While this hike is scenic enough, with views of Jack Mountain and the Hozomeen Peaks across the lake to the east, it adds considerable distance to what is already a long outing, and the water taxi is reasonably affordable when shared by a group.

From the dock or footbridge, a well-used and maintained trail meanders along the north bank of turquoise Big Beaver Creek, gradually gaining elevation from the lakeshore at 1,618 feet toward Beaver Pass 2,000 feet above. Along the way, the trail passes through miles of shadowy old-growth forest. Occasionally, a marsh or avalanche path will afford views of steep Stetattle Ridge and Elephant Butte to the south, or Mount Prophet and its subsidiaries to the north, but the trail is mostly a green tunnel, with giant trees towering above and a carpet of ferns and moss to either side. Amazingly, most users of this trail never visit the surrounding peaks, and catch only fleeting and confused glimpses of the Pickets as they cross the low, wooded pass to Little Beaver Creek or Hannegan Pass.

There are several established campsites along the way, with the most useful one helpfully labeled "LUNA." Most parties will want to camp here to prepare themselves for the crux of the trip: locating "Access Creek" and crossing Big Beaver Creek. While one might think that finding a stream junction would be easy, one would be mistaken. The two creeks join each other in a broad, marshy flat, with dense alders overhanging their banks. One method is to mark the creek junction on a GPS and travel by IHR (Instrument Hiking Rules). Do not be surprised or dismayed if it takes an hour or more to travel the first quarter-mile after leaving the trail; some parties have taken the wrong creek, or even failed to find the creek altogether.

From Luna Camp, proceed about a mile farther up the trail, somewhat past Access Creek, before plunging blindly into the marsh with the goal of crossing Big Beaver Creek and locating Access Creek's north bank. If you find yourself going over and around logs, carefully pressing devil's club aside, stepping past what looks like giant mutant spinach leaves, and route-finding through a bog, you are doing things right. Eventually, after brief but fierce combat with some alders, you will emerge on one bank of the Big Beaver, to be faced with 20-30 feet of water and a mirror wall of alders on the opposite bank.

After crossing Big Beaver Creek, be sure to locate Access Creek before leaving the valley floor. Then head west along its north bank, pushing through sparse forest and dense blueberry bushes as you climb above the bog. The easiest path follows an indistinct ridge, then continues out of sight of the creek, but within earshot.

This section can be miserable for the impatient, especially after a day's easy travel on the Big Beaver Trail. Even above the marsh, progress is slow with no views, and many of the open areas are choked with spiny brush and devil's club. Enjoy the profusion of life and the absence of any signs of human passage.

Around 4,000 feet, the south bank opens up in a patchy boulderfield, while brushy slide paths on the north begin to frustrate progress. Although you can cross at the lower end of the boulder fields, strips of alder and blackberries are troublesome, and often force you well above the creek. The best route probably stays on the north bank until past most of the alder patches on the south. The view finally opens up near the head of the valley, where Luna's precipitous east face rises 4,000 feet in less than a mile.

You can either camp here near the stream, or continue to a higher camp above Luna Col for a better morning view and a shorter summit day. To reach the col, head south-southwest up the left-most steep gully at the head of the valley. In early summer some traverse the snow climb with technical gear. Later, it melts out to steep dirt and scree resulting in tedious hiking. At the top of the chute, the north side of the southern Pickets comes suddenly into view, a reward justifying the past two days' labors. From the MacMillan Spires to the Crescent Creek Spires, peaks rise 4,000 feet from MacMillan Creek in a wild jumble of rock, snow, and ice.

Beyond Luna Col, the route sidehills across steep heather in a mile-long gradual ascent to the saddle between Luna and glacier-clad East Fury. At the saddle, Mount Challenger and its southern glacier emerge to the northwest, with Luna Lake and its mud-puddle sister lying far below at the head of Luna Creek. The creek has earned a reputation as one of the worst bushwhacks in the north Cascades, with miles of devil's club and impenetrable alder thickets separating Luna Lake from the Big Beaver trail.

While Luna looks like a simple boulder-hop from the saddle, it hides a final surprise. Upon reaching what appears to be the summit, the peak reveals a final, exposed narrow ridge leading to its true, eastern summit. However, there are better views from the ridge's western end anyway. Looking west, the whole spine of the Pickets extends in a savage panorama of rock buttresses and hanging glaciers. Northeast, the twin Hozomeen Peaks rise on the other side of Ross Lake. Southeast, you can trace your long route from the trailhead, twelve miles away as the crow flies, along the Skagit River, Big Beaver Creek, and Access Creek.

Few places this remote, inaccessible, and unvisited remain in the lower 48. Only a handful of people touch Luna's summit each year, and their light touch leaves no trace. Therefore the reward of your journey comes with an obligation to leave no trace as well. This is one of a dwindling number of places in the continental U.S. that remain essentially untouched by humans.

Need to Know

Information

Backcountry camping permits are required and can be obtained free at the Marblemount Ranger Station (360-854-7245).

Getting There

A water taxi service from Ross Lake Resort is offered to and from Big Beaver Creek. To reach the taxi, park at the Ross Lake Trailhead and hike down the trail and across the dam.

Best Time to Go

August or early September depending on snow conditions.

Maps

Either use CalTopo to print custom maps, or Trails Illustrated #223 North Cascades National Park.

Books

Covering trails in the area, you can refer to Hiking the North Cascades, a Falcon Guide as well as Day Hiking North Cascades.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor Sean O'Rourke originally appeared in Issue 28 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.