[TR] (Ira) Spring Mountain - East Ridge 01/25/2026

[JasonG]

Trip: (Ira) Spring Mountain - East Ridge

Trip Date: 01/25/2026

Trip Report:

 

This long stretch of grim ski conditions had me casting about for other ideas in the North Cascades and Olympics (Ellinor, maybe I'll do a TR) these past few weeks.  This past Sunday I cast off solo up the mountain loop highway from Darrington, aiming to get to the Lost Creek Ridge Trailhead.  Surprisingly the MBSNF had a current report that you could drive all the way to the TH and indeed you could. Everything was in great shape, including to the turnoff for Pugh (not sure about the road up, however).  2wd would get you to the LCR trailhead at this time, which was somewhat surprising given the apocalyptic nature of this past December.

Unsurprisingly, I was alone at the TH, and set off up the dry trail.  It was generally in good shape, though with a good bit of blowdown in the first half mile or so.  It had been 29 years since I'd hiked the trail and I had forgotten what large trees there are in this section of the Sauk.  Of course, when they fall down, I wish they were a little smaller:

Within a couple hours I found myself at Bingley Gap (hitting snow about 500' below gap), where I put on crampons, got out the axe and started up the steepening ridge.  Views of Pugh and Sloan teased through the trees as I gained elevation:

Within a few hundred feet above the Gap, the east ridge of Spring Mountain narrowed and steepened dramatically and I found myself doing some spicy scrambling in crampons sans helmet.  Oops.  (Don't worry, I found an easier way down to the north and below the ridge itself).  Soon, Dakobed came into view:

And then, not long after that, the summit of Spring, which was smaller and more noble than I was expecting:

The view from the summit was sublime (about 3.5 hours from the car), extending across Sloan and the Monte Cristo peaks to the Olympics and up north past Darrington into the heart of the North Cascades.  It was just me and a lone raven up above, croaking as it rode higher on the thermals.  It was a beautiful day in the North Cascades.

Out to Hall Peak and the Olympics:

I stayed on the summit for about an hour (3 bars 5G service FYI), flinging digital poo at those that couldn't make it out with me that day.  But I was a bit uncertain about the descent, since I didn't want to descend the way I had come up and left early enough to give myself some time to figure things out. Impressive views of the east side of Pugh slowed my pace on the way down.  I had brought my new telephoto, which came in handy:

Breccia Mountain:

But I needn't have worried.  Straightforward snow slopes (though steep-some facing in) were fairly easily followed from the summit all the way back to Bingley Gap.  No sketchy scambling with crampons was required and within an hour I was on the trail bombing back to the car.  I arrived early enough for a stop at the NF Sauk Falls (highly recommended), where a nice view of Spring Mountain was also had (summit is that middle rock):

I hadn't seen anyone all day, nor a car, since leaving the pavement a bit south of Darrington.  This was somewhat surprising to me, given that it was a beautiful Sunday, but then I remembered that there was a Seahawks game on.  Too bad for those folks, I guess.  I sat for a bit along the road as the sun sank west, admiring Whitechuck Mountain.   

I never get tired of a good day in the North Cascades.

Gear Notes:
axe, crampons, helmet

Approach Notes:
Lost Creek ridge trail to Bingley Gap. The east ridge can be followed, more or less to the summit from the Gap, though it can get spicy in places. An easier route drops a couple hundred feet on the north side of the Gap and then up and left through avy paths to the summit.