John Gassel Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Anyone have some insight as to when the road to Mowich lake is going to open up this season? Going to be there the last week in June. I'm also curious what the best way to get between there and White River with one car. Is there a shuttle service or anything I should look into. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScaredSilly Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/road-status.htm If you are looking to do something over on the Mowich side go in via the West Side Road and go long, coming down via the DC. If Ptarmigan go in via White River and go long, coming down Emmons. One can also walk the Carbon River road - done that too. For Mowich/Ptarmigan come down the Emmons / Whintropt and pick up the trail going to Mystic Lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YocumRidge Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 West Side road is now closed completely at SR706 due to a recent landslide. Mowich Lake Rd. normally opens just before 4th of July and I personally prefer that approach for Ptarmigan. Its shorter and more scenic but does require a car shuttle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gassel Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Yeah, I'm arriving on 6/27 to do Ptarmigan. Ideally the road will be open by then, but I'm looking for backup plans in case it's not. Are there no shuttles that go between the two I'm guessing? I couldn't find anything. I suppose the best thing to do would be to rent 2 cars ourselves? Seems like a lot of work/expense if the road is closed. I know there is the option to park and White River and do the approach across the Carbon like some parties do, but since we're a party of 2 I'd prefer to do the approach from Mowich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) Yeah, I'm arriving on 6/27 to do Ptarmigan. Ideally the road will be open by then, but I'm looking for backup plans in case it's not. I would be surprised if the road is open by then. I've gone into Ptarmigan Ridge 5 times and some years Mowich Lake road does not open until late July. Are there no shuttles that go between the two I'm guessing? I couldn't find anything. I suppose the best thing to do would be to rent 2 cars ourselves? Seems like a lot of work/expense if the road is closed. No shuttles that I am aware of. Renting two cars just sounds like a hassle that is not worth it. I know there is the option to park and White River and do the approach across the Carbon like some parties do, but since we're a party of 2 I'd prefer to do the approach from Mowich. I've approached Ptarmigan Ridge from both White River and Mowich Lake, and I think approach from WHITE RIVER makes the most logistical sense, especially since you will likely have to walk the Mowich Road anyway. The approach from White River takes me the same amount of time as the approach via Mowich when it is gated at Paul Peak. I don't understand why you feel more comfortable going via Mowich with a two person party. The Emmons descent is more difficult than the approach across the Winthrop and Carbon glaciers. If you are not comfortable crossing glaciers with a two person party, you may want to rethink your objective. Edited June 5, 2014 by DPS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gassel Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Thanks for the response. It's not that we are uncomfortable crossing glaciers with the 2 person party. My partner did LR at the same time (early July) last year and gave the impression that the Carbon is really broken up and a bit of a hassle to cross. That coupled with the good things I've heard about the approach from Mowich and a change in scenery is our main motivation. How close can you get to Mowich Lake if the road is closed? Is it best to just drive to the point the road is closed or drive to the Carbon Road closing and hike in from there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 How close can you get to Mowich Lake if the road is closed? Is it best to just drive to the point the road is closed or drive to the Carbon Road closing and hike in from there? Mowich Lake road is typically gated at Paul Peak trail head which adds about 5.5 miles or so to the walk, however, I'm not sure where the washout that YocumRidge mentioned is. I crossed the Carbon last year around July 15th, and crossing the Carbon was not terrible, but was also not trivial. Spray park is mighty pretty. One thing you could do is take one car, approach via Mowich Lake, descend the Emmons out to White River and try to impress some tourists enough with your badassness to give you a ride around to your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gassel Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Haha, I have a feeling our stink and sweat from being on the mountain will far outweigh any amount of badassness that one gets for climbing Ptarmigan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScaredSilly Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 If the Mowich Road is closed my suggestion would be to walk in from Carbon Creek. While it too is approximately 5.5 miles it is an easy walk. From there you can get into Spray Park and camp. From there it is an quick jaunt to the Ptarmigan bivy. On the return descend the Emmons to Streamboat. From there drop down the Whintropt which is usually reasonable crack wise. Join the LR shuffle trail for a bit then down Curtis Ridge where one will hit the trail back to Ipsut Creek. Simple one car. I have down this in various forms for Ptarmigan, Mowich, and Willis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gassel Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 If the Mowich Road is closed my suggestion would be to walk in from Carbon Creek. While it too is approximately 5.5 miles it is an easy walk. From there you can get into Spray Park and camp. I looked around at the maps on the web and couldn't find anything called "Carbon Creek". I can't see any way that it's only 5.5 miles to Spray Park from anywhere near the Carbon River entrance since that road is now closed at the ranger station. Can you explain what you mean a little more? Thanks! On a side note, I ordered a much better map that should be coming in today so maybe I can find it myself later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScaredSilly Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I meant Carbon River. The Carbon River Road is also closed (semi-permanently) at the ranger station. From there it is 5.5 miles to Ipsut Creek Campground. Same road walking distance as the Mowich Lake Road when it is closed. Then you are at the trail to Seattle/Spray Park. Though a bit lower and a bit longer trail walking wise as from Mowich Lake it has the advantage that no car shuttle is required. Note the trail to Mystic Lake by the Whintropt Glacier - one does not go to Mystic Lake but goes most of the way to the Carbon Glacier then drops down onto the trail. http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/upload/Carbon-River_Mowich-Area-Trails-Aug11.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gassel Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Okay, thanks. I understand what you were getting at now. Definitely more walking but no car spot might be handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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