Glacier Peak Wilderness Circuit

Napeequa Valley in autumn from Boulder Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness Washington

The Glacier Peak Wilderness initially got my attention for its famed Ptarmigan Traverse mountaineering route. After a month of boulder hopping in Wyoming and Montana I opted for something easier, taking a network of trails around the mountain (6 days, 100 miles). I started the walk at the White River Trailhead and went over Boulder Pass the first day into the Napeequa

Napeequa Valley camp in Glacier Peak Wilderness Washington

The Napeequa is rugged and overgrown, felt more like an Alaskan valley

Butterfly Butte from the climb towards High Pass in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

The smoke from the California fires blew in overnight, the glaciated Butterfly Butte seen here in the distance

High Pass on the Glacier Peak Circuit walk

The trail from High Pass to Buck Creek Pass is probably the best on the circuit, the smoke however was at its worst

Daily totals for Glacier Peak Circuit walk

I did the walk counter-clockwise with a relaxed pace on the eastern side. Extra distance was covered in the second half as the pack got lighter. There would also be the option of climbing to Camp Lake on the western side and making the walk seven days

Overview Map

Camping at Image Lake in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

I arrived early at Image Lake with a planned half day walk from Buck Creek Pass

Fall colors over a smoky Image Lake with a view of Glacier Peak in October Washington

Smoky sunset above Image Lake

From Image Lake the remainder of the walk was on the Pacific Crest Trail, which had some beautiful forest sections

Glacier Peak from Grassy Point

High camp on Grassy Point with a view of Glacier Peak

Just enough room on the summit for the tent

Grassy Ridge Trail with a view of Glacier Peak

Clear skies in the morning from Grassy Ridge

View from the Pacific Crest Trail near Glacier Ridge

Layers of forest on the Pacific Crest Trail

The final day was downhill into the forest along the Indian Creek Trail

Resources: NatGeo Map, Climber Kyle