Day 1 Mount Tompson trip report
Day 2 Huckleberry Mountain trip report
Day 3 Chikamin Peak trip report

Day 1 - Snoqualmie Pass to Ridge Lake, Mount Thompson

Chutang and I planned a three-day traverse north of Snoqualmie Pass. We started at Snoqualmie Pass and followed the PCT Section J to the Mineral Creek trailhead. Along the way, we climbed three Snoqualmie Peaks, two of which are also Smoot peaks: Mount Thompson, Huckleberry Mountain, and Chikamin Peak.

We left a car at the Mineral Creek trailhead and spent the night at a nearby campground on Thursday, 08/07. On Friday morning, we drove to the Snoqualmie Pass PCT north trailhead and started hiking at 7:41 AM, heading toward Ridge Lake. The hike along the PCT was pleasant, but Section J is very busy. Even on a Friday morning, there were many people on the trail.

It took us about 4 hours and 30 minutes to reach Ridge Lake and Gravel Lake. We went at a steady pace with a few breaks to enjoy the views and take photos. Carrying climbing gear for Huckleberry Mountain made our backpacks heavier.

At Ridge Lake, we found two tents already set up. We chose to camp on the Gravel Lake side, where there are many established campsites. We were the first to set up there, but by the time we returned to camp, I counted over ten tents around the lakes.

After setting up our tent and hanging our food, we headed toward Mount Thompson. A short 0.4-mile walk brought us to the foot of Bumblebee Pass. The trail fork wasn’t very obvious, but GPS made it easy to find. We climbed a steep trail up Bumblebee Pass. At the top, both Chutang and I were amazed by how massive and rugged Mount Thompson looked.

We descended into the basin and climbed through talus and scree fields to reach a U-shaped notch. Most of the route had obvious boot path. After the notch, we followed the boot path to the summit, but occasionally lost it and had to make some class 3-4 moves. On the way down, we realized that if you stay on route, there is nothing harder than class 3. If you find something harder than class 3, you can likely find an easier way around.

The crux of the route was a 20-foot class 4 dihedral just below the summit. We changed into climbing shoes and soloed it. If your group has inexperienced climbers, setting up a handline would be helpful. The summit offered a 360-degree view of the Snoqualmie Pass area. There was a summit register and a pen.

After enjoying the view, we started descending. We did a short rappel using an existing anchor just above the crux. The webbing looked new — thanks to whoever added it! There was another rappel station below the dihedral, but we didn’t use it since we weren’t sure where it went. It also wasn’t necessary because the rest of the descent was class 3 or easier.

The whole round trip from camp took about six hours. We returned to camp around 7 PM. I took a quick dip in Ridge Lake — the water was surprisingly not very cold and felt very refreshing!

Day 2 Ridge Lake to Glacier Lake, Huckleberry Mountain

Please see this trip report for Huckleberry Mountain climbing route.

This was day 2 of our Snoqualmie Pass North Traverse. Overnight, all our gear was soaked with heavy condensation. This slowed us down packing in the morning, and we don’t know why it happened, since the forecast called for three sunny days.

We left camp at 8 a.m. It took an hour to reach the pass near Alaska Mountain. We decided to bag the peak, thinking it would be a simple unmaintained trail. It wasn’t. We had to do route finding and bushwhacking, and took round trip in 45 minutes.

After a short break, we headed toward Huckleberry Mountain. Around the 3-hour mark, we left the PCT. We pulled out our gear and tent to dry. Then we hung our food, left one bag with overnight gear, and walked to the base of the climb.

The climb goes straight up to a rappel tree. The climbing was easy, but there wasn’t much protection. I belayed Chutang, then let her pass the rappel station. We unroped there and began the long scramble to the false summit. Most of it was class 3 with some class 4 sections. It can feel exposed for less confident climbers, but you can usually choose less exposed terrain.

From the false summit, the true summit looked intimidating. The 20-foot downclimb to the notch was also exciting. We didn’t find the “easy class 2” descent mentioned in some reports. I downclimbed directly, while Chutang went skier’s right.

The final climb was straightforward if you stay on route. I had to downclimb twice—once because I went the wrong way and ended up on harder terrain, and once because my rope got stuck in a crack. Both times were easy class 4–5, so not scary. Loose rocks are present - Chutang kicked down apple-sized rocks when she climbed directly up the face for fun. The final crack was underwhelming—more of a face move than a crack climb. There’s a stuck cam you could sling, but I placed my own protection.

We retraced our steps and did two rappels to the base. A 60m rope is required. Base-to-base took us three and a half hours.

We collected our gear, returned to the PCT, and hiked another 4.5 miles to Glacier Lake, where we planned to spend the night before climbing Chikamin the next day. Glacier Lake is a popular camping spot—about five other parties were there. We found a small site near the lake. The area is stunning, so it’s no surprise it’s popular. Our total time today was 12 hours at a relaxed pace, reaching camp at 8 p.m. The trail was full of ripe huckleberries, which slowed us down even more.

Day 3 Glacier Lake to Minernal Creek Trailhead, Chikamin Peak

This was Day 3, the final day of our Snoqualmie Pass North Traverse. Our plan was to summit Chikamin Peak and then return to the car at the Mineral Creek Trailhead. As usual, Chutang and I woke up at 6 a.m., made breakfast, and set out toward the peak. We had heard Chikamin was easier than Mount Thompson and Huckleberry Mountain, which we had climbed over the past two days, and that turned out to be true. The route was straightforward, and the short Class 3 chimney near the top was easy and not very technical.

We began by contouring around the lake but got a little confused right before the boulder field. After talking it over, we realized we needed to head up the boulders and pass the tall, thin rock visible from camp. From there, we climbed up until it was time to turn left toward the largest pond. I recommend staying on the right side of the creek at this point, where there is a faint but well-defined boot path that makes for easier walking. Once at rock above of the pond, you can either descend straight to it or contour slightly to the right.

From that point, the route was obvious. We followed the GPS up a gully, crossed a white slabby section, and continued climbing until we reached the ridge. A clear boot path from the ridge led us directly to the summit. The Class 3 chimney just below the top felt easy and safe. The summit offered fantastic views of Gold Creek Valley and the Snoqualmie region. It took us three hours to get there.

Unfortunately, there were clouds of mating bugs around the summit rocks, so we did not stay long. We retraced our steps back to Glacier Lake, completing the round trip in 5 hours and 45 minutes. The day was so hot that we jumped into Glacier Lake, enjoying a refreshing swim in a beautiful setting, which was a perfect way to end the off-trail portion of the trip.

Back at camp, we packed up our gear and hiked out on the Mineral Creek Trail without any issues. The trail follows the valley between Hibox Mountain and Three Queens, with each peak dominating one side of the valley. It is in excellent condition right now, with only two downed logs and no overgrowth, thanks to volunteer maintenance. We were relieved to reach the car at the trailhead and then drove back to Snoqualmie Pass to pick up our other car. It ended up being another ten-hour day, which made me understand why some people prefer to do Chikamin as a two-day trip.

Over three days, we summited one peak each day, enjoyed a comfortable pace, and soaked in the views of this beautiful region.

GPS: https://www.peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=2938170