Whether hiking here early or late in the season, on a clear or an overcast day, be prepared to be wowed!įortunately the short range views are breathtaking no matter what the skies are doing. If the clouds are low, however, many of the impressive long range views may be hidden. If the clouds are high above the mountain peaks the views are incredibly textured and dramatic. On the other hand, a cloudy day can impact the views and their aura.
On a clear day hikers on the Lake Ann/Maple Pass Loop Trail get invigorating views of huge mountain peaks under bright blue skies. The paved trail which leads to Rainy Lake and to the Lake Ann/Maple Pass Loop Trail is located on the south side of the parking lot. This is a popular picnic area and trailhead, and it although it has a great deal of parking (40 spaces), the lot does fill early. HIKING THE MAPLE PASS LOOP FROM THE RAINY PASS PICNIC AREA
The snow was soft enough that we didn’t use crampons for the loop, although some folks may prefer otherwise, especially if you go earlier in the day. That said, the trail is completely buried in snow from Heather Pass, up and over Maple Pass, and back down the other side to approx 5500 ft, so be prepared for some route-finding. It was a perfect choice because Alison had done it numerous times and knew the route well. If I were to attempt this again in the winter, I’d want to start before dawn.Īfter bailing on the Black Peak plan, we quickly formulated a Plan B: the Heather-Maple Pass loop. It was already 9 am and I wasn’t comfortable with the combination of rotten snow with running water underneath, a steep slope with a bad runout, and lingering cornices – not at 9 am, and definitely not later in the day on our way back. After some discussion, we decided to turn around. Maudie probed around with her axe a couple times, and it punched through and down into open space below. There were still a few lingering cornices at the top of the ridge above us, and we saw evidence of a somewhat recent cornice failure/slide that had taken some trees down with it.Īpproximately half-way to Lewis Lake we came to a spot where we could hear water running underneath the snowpack. We all agreed this was a no-fall zone, with a cliff band below. Then we started slowly picking our way across the slope. Our first glimpses of the mountain were awesome – it is definitely a gorgeous peak! Barefoot, pregnant… and prepping for adventureįirst glimpse of Black Peak Black Peak approachīefore starting the traverse towards Lewis Lake we grabbed a quick snack, put on crampons, and swapped poles for ice axes. At Heather Pass we left the established trail and started heading due west towards Black Peak. Up until Heather Pass, the trail was mostly snow-free with occasional patches of snow. We left the trailhead at 700 am, and were at Heather Pass by 8:15 am. (Turns out lingering snow is great for keeping crowds away.) Maple Pass is one of the most popular trails in the North Cascades, so having it to ourselves was a real treat. As you can probably guess from the title of this TR, we weren’t successful at reaching Black Peak… but we were successful at having a fun day in the mountains, and doing the Heather-Maple Pass Loop without seeing a single other person. Maudie, Alison and I decided to make an attempt at Black Peak this past Tuesday.
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