Newman55

I found this from another post in 2008- Anyone have more recent experience to offer? Little Wenatchee River Trail #1525: Trailhead at 3000 ft, 45 miles roundtrip to the summit via White Pass, with about 11000 ft total gain. Apparently, there are no difficult creek crossings or washed out bridges. Also, a newly built (but unfinished) trail reroute to the north of Meander Meadow saves about 1.5 (?) miles in each direction, so closer to 42 miles roundtrip. White River Trail #1507: Trailhead at 2300 ft, 51 miles roundtrip to the summit via White Pass, with about 10500 ft total gain. Three difficult creek crossings with washed out bridges in the first 9 miles. Note that it's much shorter to leave the White River trail after about 9 miles, then bushwhack north up the Lightning Creek drainage to reach the Honeycomb Glacier via a 7100 ft gap, then ascend west to cross onto the Suiattle Glacier at 7800 ft and descend north past Glacier Gap. This route is about 37 miles roundtrip to the summit, with over 11000 ft of gain. Thanks!

The enchantments are certainly worth the trip, but if you plan to overnight up there you need a permit, and the lottery for the permits took place in April. You can stop by the Ranger station in Leavenworth, WA on the day you plan to hike in, as they reserve a certain number of permits for a daily lottery system. Leavenworth is a 2.25 hour drive from Seattle, and you have to arrive just before 7am for the daily lottery. If you don't make the lottery, you can through-hike it in a day by entering at the Colchuck Lake TR and exiting through the Snow Lakes TR. It is a pretty rigorous 20 mile trek to be done in a single day, but people do it often enough. Great fishing for brookies in several of those lakes, especially Lake Vivian and the Snow Lakes. For a 3-4 day backpacking trip in that same region, look up the Napeequa Valley. Just SE of Glacier Peak in the GP wilderness. TR is about 40 minutes North and West of Leavenworth.

Going to try Glacier Peak in September - have a place near Plain, WA and would like to trek in from the East Side of the mountain from a trail-head North of Lake Wenatchee up W.R. Road or outside of Trinity. Haven't been looking long but I've found almost nothing online about approach routes from this side - everything is from the North Fork of the Sauk River TR. Anyone hiked in to Glacier Peak from an East-side route? Also interested in any info/tips on climbing Glacier Peak at this time of year - best routes over glaciers, what is the crevasse density like, etc.? Thanks