A Redemption Summit on Snowking Mountain
DATES HIKED: 8/1-8/3/25
TOTAL MILEAGE: 21 MILES
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 9,100’
In 2021, Alex and I set out to climb Snowking Mountain, a regal peak nestled in the depths of the North Cascades, during an intense heat wave. We underestimated the amount of water sources along the route and ended up dangerously dehydrated on the most exposed section of the approach. By pure luck, we stumbled upon a tiny snow patch melting in the heat and were able to filter a couple liters of water that saved us. By the time we made it to camp at Cyclone Lake, we were exhausted, dehydrated, and mentally fried from the entire experience. Instead of attempting the summit the next morning, we packed up camp and headed back to the trailhead, tail between our legs. Once safely home, we wrote this one off for good. We attempted it and failed, end of story. It happens sometimes. The approach is rough, the climber’s trail steep, and the memories fear-inducing. Over time, however, those scary memories began to fade as we tackled more committing routes and summits and grew more experienced in the backcountry. The idea of attempting this mountain again began to take hold, but I didn’t plan for it to be this year.
Our plan for the first weekend of August was to tackle a big objective with our friends Jess and DJ over three days. The weekend usually feels like the height of summer—the snow has melted, the lakes have thawed, the alpine routes are open, and the options feel limitless—so we set our sights very high on Luna Peak. As the trip approached, the barrier of entry for the trip began to wear on me. The permits, the water taxi (not 100% necessary, but we wouldn’t be able to do the trip in 3 days without it), a difficult-to-find creek crossing, and the notoriously big approach was making me feel stressed as our trip dates neared, instead of excited. I asked the group if we could potentially do something less committing and they were all so understanding. Jess and DJ had been wanting to climb Snowking for the past few summers but hadn’t got around to it, so I suggested it as a plan b, and everyone agreed. We were going to venture into the palace of the king. Now that I was excited about!
DAY 1: HIKE TO CYCLONE LAKE | 8 MILES | ~5,500’ OF GAIN
The bridge is being reclaimed by the forest, we hiked down and back up to avoid crossing it
Since we were doing this trip in three days, and since we didn’t need to pick up permits at the ranger station or catch a water taxi, we left Seattle at the reasonable hour of 7:30AM. We arrived to the trailhead just after 10AM, having no issue with the rocky stream crossings that stopped us in our sedan about half a mile from the trailhead back in 2021. We gave our gear a final look over and headed off onto the brushy trail.
The first three miles of trail gained about 1,000’ in an overgrown tunnel of green. All of the foliage was wet with morning dew and within a few steps we were all absolutely soaked. Jess, Alex, and I chose to wear shorts and we regretted our decision in no time, but we carried on as wet branches whipped our legs.
After just over an hour we reached the “fire pit”, the last spot to take a nice leisurely break before the trail takes a sharp turn into the forest and abruptly gains 2,000’ feet in a mile on a steep climber’s trail. This was also the last place to get reliable water until Cyclone Lake, 4,000’ later, something Alex and I learned the hard way on our first trip.
Despite the relentless grade, it was a relief to be out of the overgrowth, no longer getting slapped in the face by leaves or tripped up by roots, even if it meant being thrown right into a precipitous ascent. We fell into a steady pace, and the feet slowly ticked by. While it was no where near as hot as it was on our last trip to Snowking, the humidity in the forest was oppressive and I quickly turned into a sweaty mess. Suddenly I missed all that water being dripped and splashed onto me!
Like all the best spots in the North Cascades, this trail makes you toil in the trees for a few hours before gracing you with any views.
At 2:30PM, we made it to the top of the ridge and took a long lunch break. Clouds swirled around the peaks, the forecast for Saturday looked bright and clear, but the Friday forecast was proving right in being gray and overcast.
Rested and refueled, we continued on. It wasn’t long until we were treated to our first glimpse of Snowking. The mountain towered over a rocky basin and green-cloaked valleys below. It looked much more imposing than I remembered, but just as beautiful. It was hard to believe we would (hopefully) be on top of it in less than 24 hours.
From the ridge, we frustratingly descended a few hundred feet before we immediately reascended another ridge and finally topped out just above Cyclone Lake and a duo of unnamed tarns. We stopped often as we made our way to the lakes, taking photos and videos and oohing and aahing over the scene. It had been 5.5 hours since we left the trailhead.
We quickly headed to the lake to filter water. While we all had packed extra water, knowing water was scarce along the route, by the time we arrived to the lake we were almost all out of water. It is so easy to get dehydrated on this route, even when intentionally trying to stay hydrated.
Since we had already camped at Cyclone Lake, we knew just the place to go for a private yet scenic camp spot. We scrambled up some slabs to an idyllic established spot overlooking the lake and set up camp.
Given our leisurely start in the morning, by the time we filtered water, set up camp and completed our camp chores, it was already dinnertime. We fired up the stove and settled in for pad Thai as we gazed up at the next day’s objective, and swatted at a million buzzing mosquitos. Thankfully, we packed our recently purchased mosquito zapper so we buzzed them right back, though it didn’t seem to make a dent in their numbers, they just kept coming.
Jess told us that her sunrise/sunset predictor app called for a good sunset on Friday night and it was right! There weren’t many clouds in the sky, but as the sun sank lower toward the horizon the few clouds that hung in the sky began to turn orange and then glowed a brilliant pink. To the north, layers of Cascades were set against a sorbet-colored backdrop. We stayed out until the last light faded from the sky and headed to bed with alarms set for sunrise, just in case.
DAY 2: SNOWKING SUMMIT | 5 MILES | ~2,500’ OF GAIN
My alarm went off at 5:15AM and I poked my head out the tent, but the sky didn’t look promising for a fiery sunrise. Still exhausted from a poor night’s sleep, I laid my head right back down and slept for another two hours before waking up just after 7AM. The rest of the group was still sleeping soundly and I didn’t want to disturb anyone (or be unproductive), so I grabbed my camera, our Platypus 4L water bag, and headed down to the lake to get some water for everyone and take some photos of the glassy, mirror-like lake. By the time I got back, everyone had started to stir.
The only thing on our agenda for day two was to climb Snowking and swim in the lakes. It was going to be the perfect blend of activity and leisure and we didn’t feel the need to rush in the morning, so we enjoyed coffee and breakfast and more mountain views before gearing up for the day.
Just before 10AM, we simultaneously started our watches and headed back to the ridge to link up with the climber’s trail. Almost immediately the views started to get even better. The views from the lake are already so spectacular it was hard to imagine it could get much better, but wow did they ever. I quickly realized that the ridge we were ascending was like a scene from a fairy tale. As we clambered up slabs and wound our way past meadows, the views left us saying “wow” and “it’s SO pretty” more times than I can count.
The lushest, most verdant meadows, patches of lupine, and flowering heather carpeted the slopes. Across the valley, Mutchler Peak and its glacier demanded our attention, and just when we thought the scene couldn’t get any more captivating, the lakes came into view. First, the sapphire Cyclone emerged below us, reflecting puffy white clouds in its deeply blue waters. Below Mutchler Peak, sitting like a sparkling emerald in the basin, is an unnamed oval lake. It was my favorite view of the entire trip, the little green lake in a rocky basin surrounded by jagged snow-covered peaks. These are quintessential North Cascades views and one of the many reasons I love this range so much. A mix of wildflowers, peaks, and glaciers that look more like a dreamscape than reality, but there it was, right before me in all its genuine glory.
The ridge walk, while beautiful, took longer than expected. From afar it looked so straightforward, a simple jaunt up the slope, but up close we had micro ascents and descents and the trail was tough to follow at times, fading into obscurity in the slabby and rocky sections.
Snowking grew closer. Finally, we crested a ridge and the remainder of the route was visible above us, but we had a decision to make: stay on rock and follow the ridge line all the way to the top, or hop onto the snow and make a beeline for the summit. It seemed easier to stay the course we were on, rather than getting onto the snow and putting on our microspikes and taking out our axes, but the snowfield might have been more convenient as the gigantic rock pile we had to ascend proved slow and frustrating. Intermittently, a rock shifted beneath my feet, making every step tentative, but eventually we made it to the ridge just below the final summit block and were surprised and elated to see two twinkling lakes far below us to the south. The lakes just kept appearing!
Alex downclimbing the rock to the col
All we had left was the final 100’ scramble to the top, but it wasn’t as simple as it seemed. The snow that climbers use to easily access the col beneath the summit had melted, leaving a gaping moat between solid rock and the snowy slope, so we stayed high on the rocks and tried to navigate toward the summit block, but found ourselves atop a steep drop off. There were a few solid foot and handholds below us, and I could see a route down to the col, but it was exposed to a 20-30’ fall. We backtracked and tried and find a better way off the rock, but we kept running into dead ends so eventually we accepted the fact we’d have to down climb the spicy little scramble. I went first, and despite the breeziness, I felt secure and soon enough we were down the scramble and began the last 100’ climb. From afar, this last section looked intimidating, but once on top of it, the route became clear. The scramble to get down to the col was definitely the most technical part of the entire day.
A few minutes later we were on the summit, basking in the stunning 360-degree views.
No matter how many trips I make to the North Cascades, or how many peaks I climb in the range, I am always blown away by the magnitude of the terrain. Surrounding us in all directions were jagged, glaciated peaks, serrated ridge lines, jewel-like lakes, and green forests. Not only was the view spectacular, but Alex and I had succeeded in redeeming ourselves for our bungle of a trip in 2021, and that made it feel even more special.
It took us three hours to reach the summit, a little longer than we expected, due to stopping often for photos and a more leisurely pace, knowing we weren’t in a rush for anything. Once we soaked in the views and signed the summit register, we turned around and began the descent.
On our way down, we opted to hop onto the snow. We boot skied down the slope, whizzing by the rocks we so slowly ascended, saving a lot of time and having fun in the process! A couple hours later, we arrived back at camp, hot, sweaty, and ready for a swim.
The upper tarn
Having a free afternoon to swim and lounge is one of the main reasons I suggested this as a three day trip. It was a nice change of pace to have downtime. We changed into our suits and headed down to the upper tarn. The water was crystal clear, cold, and refreshing, just what we needed after a long day in the hot sun. After swimming, we lounged on the warm rocks and just basked in the beauty of the area, so grateful for a wonderful day in the mountains.
Sunset on the second night wasn’t nearly as colorful as the previous night, but there was still a beautiful golden glow in the sky as the sun descended. I was exhausted, so before it was even dark, I headed into the tent and crashed hard for the night.
DAY 3: HIKE BACK TO THE TRAILHEAD | 8 MILES | ~1,000’ OF GAIN
Eldorado danced in and out of the clouds
We awoke to thick clouds on the third day. Overnight, they crept in low and high, gobbling up summits and blanketing the valley floors. As much as I would have loved to have another morning spent gazing at a bluebird sky above Snowking, I was looking forward to hiking down in cooler weather.
As we descended, we were treated to a beautiful views of clouds roiling around us. Peaks danced in and out of the clouds, giving us a quick glance of Eldorado before the veil dropped again.
Before long, we were at the start of the steep descent through the forest. Officially, all the sprawling views were behind us, so we settled into the descent and made good time back to the car, arriving 4.5 hours after we had left camp.
This redemption trip went better than I could have ever hoped. The weather cooperated, the views surpassed even my highest expectations, and I got to share the experience with great friends. As I’m writing this, it’s been two days since we’ve returned home and I am still beaming thinking about how fun the trip was. Snowking, you were worth the wait!
*****