Glacier Peak Approach from East / Other GP tips?

[Newman55]

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

[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!

 

[scottk]

The mileage on the White River Trail sounds high. I'm pretty sure it's under 45 miles. Also, reports are that it's very overgrown after the turn off to Boulder Pass (at 5 miles). My memory of recent trip reports is that everyone has headed up Lightning Creek so it's unclear what the trail is like from Lightning Creek to White Pass.

 

Last year we came out the Indian Creek trail which is the official Pacific Crest route now and is in fairly decent shape.

[alpine et]

I researched this route recently as well - agree that most were heading up Lightning Creek instead of going to White Pass. If you want to go via White Pass, why not check out the newly reopened N. Fork Sauk road? I worked up the mileage of White River via Lightning Creek as ~ 32RT, which was somewhat similar to the mileage along the N. Fork Sauk -> White Pass route. Within a few miles, so basically the same given I'm just drawing lines on google earth.

 

via lightning creek: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/609959/glacier-whiteriver.html

[diepj]

I posted a TR from early July from the White River Trailhead. We went up lightning creek. Take a look and let me know if you have specific questions. I can't help you out much with the late season conditions since I haven't been up on the glaciers that late. When we went they was still a lot of snow around.

 

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1075415/TR_Glacier_Peak_Disapointment_#Post1075415