Hiking Trappers Peak in the North Cascades National Park
Contents
Trappers Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 15.60Km (9.70 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 1,070m (3,510 Ft.)
Highest Elevation: 1,819m (5,968 Ft.)
Average Gradient: 13.70%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 6 – 7 Hours
– Moderate: 5 – 6 Hours
– Fast: 4.5 – 5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: ~June to November
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Short, easy scramble with mild exposure.
Trappers Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°39’10.8″N 121°19’31.6″W
Trappers Peak Overview
At 1,819m (5,968 Ft.) Trappers Peak is a somewhat modest summit in Washington’s North Cascades National Park, yet despite its humble elevation it manages to offer stunning views in every direction. Situated above Thornton Lake, Trappers offers great sightlines to the remote Southern Pickets range and Mount Triumph in particular.
Summiting Trappers Peak involves hiking to the Thornton Lake junction before some steep ridge hiking and simple scrambling with mild exposure, which most parties should be confident enough to tackle. Some parties will camp at Thornton Lake (note: you will need a backcountry camping permit to do so) and make this an overnight, however this is a totally manageable day hike for most groups. I suspect that some like to camp because it’s quite a long drive for most people, so factoring that in would make this a longer day trip.
Hiking to Trappers Peak does not directly pass by Thornton Lake, you would need to take a slight detour to do so, descending around 150m (492 Ft.) and perhaps adding an hour or so to the stats above. Experienced groups may want to consider continuing on to X Mountain, however this does not follow any trail and requires finding a steep heather scramble off of Trappers Peak to reach the ridge between the two. It will only add 1.5 hours or so to add on X Mountain, and the views are worthwhile.
This hike begins at the end of Thornton Lakes Road, a forest road that will likely require an SUV as it has some steep, loose spots and a few rutted sections.
The season for Trappers Peak is primarily July to October, but June is usually fine (you may encounter some snow) and early November can also work depending on the year.
As this hike is in the North Cascades National Park, dogs are not permitted on the trail.
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Is Trappers Peak worthwhile?
Trappers Peak is a fairly short hike that can be completed quickly by fit parties as the entire trail is easy to follow. Despite the fairly low summit, the views from the top are very rewarding, making this a high bang for your buck hike.
How difficult is the hike to Trappers Peak?
Physically speaking this hike hits that sweet spot of being just the right amount of challenging without ever feeling overly burdensome. At under 8km to the summit, many parties will be on the peak within 3 hours, and since this is more or less a straight up and straight down hike (no undulation), the descent back to the trailhead is a simple one.
Technically, the majority of the hike is a simple forest grind up to the Thornton Lakes trail junction, before it quickly steepens. After a brief stint of steep hiking through heather you’ll reach the first scramble, a short low exposure scramble requiring frequent use of hands. After this you continue along the ridge before reaching a very brief narrow section of ridge with mild exposure that you will need to pass over. It’s only a couple of steps and will be over in seconds. Right before the summit block there’s one last short scramble, but this can mostly be bypassed by following a steep heather trail instead.
Trappers Peak Route Information
The trailhead for Trappers Peak is from the end of Thornton Lakes Road, a mostly well groomed forest road, though one that still likely requires an SUV due to a few steeper spots and a couple of rutted sections. A sedan may make it with careful and confident driving, but it’s not suggested.
From the trailhead the start of this hike is a bit of a snorefest. The first 3.5km (2.2 Miles) is a very mellow forest stroll on a wide, mostly gravel path with one large switchback. You will only ascend around 175m (575 Ft.), which you will barely even notice as the gradient is so relaxed. You do have to cross over Thornton Creek along the way, which is typically straightforward hopping over rocks, as well as one or two smaller creeks. It may even be worthwhile to mountain bike this initial stretch if that’s something you enjoy.
After this warm up, the wider path narrows and begins to climb into the forest on your typical PNW forest trail. There’s plenty of roots and rocks to be had now, so if you did bring your bike you’ll want to stash it somewhere for the way back.
The next 3.5km (2.2 Miles) of this hike is where the majority of the elevation is dispatched, ascending almost 600m (1,969 Ft.) in the process. There is little to note along this section, it’s a steep forest grind that some people suggest drags on. In reality it should be over within an hour or so. At the end of this you’ll reach the junction where the trail now splits to Thornton Lake. If you are planning to go to the lake you’d now follow that trail down and to the left, otherwise ignore it and take the trail heading right towards the ridge.
The trail is now less groomed than the one to the lake as it’s likely an unofficial trail that has been trampled over the years with hikers ascending the peak. Still, it’s easy to follow though it’s certainly steep in spots. In short order you’ll reach a brief scramble where hands will be necessary, though exposure will remain mild. You wouldn’t want to fall, but it also wouldn’t be fatal by any means. After this brief scramble you’ll enjoy some pleasant ridge walking with ever improving views, before reaching a narrow section of the ridge. Again, while there’s a little exposure it’s quite easy to avoid the worst of it and after just a few steps you’ll be past it, so most people should be fine.
On the other side you’ll soon reach the summit block, which again involves some very brief and easy scrambling, and in fact you can avoid most of it by trending left onto a steep trail through the heather. This hike has a tendency to look trickier than it is, it’s quite simple.
After this final scramble you will crest the summit where there will be plenty of space to spread out. The views will now be panoramic, with excellent views of the Picket Range, Mount Triumph, Thornton Lakes (Upper, Middle and Lower) and plenty more. You can even see the town of Newhalem down in the valley alongside the highway.
After you’ve finished up at the summit, you simply return the way you came. If you are intending to continue on to X Mountain you would have to continue along the northwest ridge of Trappers and locate the heather ramp to scramble down. Without a GPX this wouldn’t be easy to locate at all.
When should I hike Trappers Peak?
The peak season for Trappers Peak will be July to October, however you can likely still summit in June and November, but you may encounter some snow along the way. Most parties want to avoid snow, in which case you may want to save it for peak summer.
Top Tip
Trappers Peak makes for a good hike in hot conditions. Most of the hike is in the shade of the forest, and the hike is short enough that you won’t be spending a full day baking in the sun.
X Mountain is worth adding if you want to extend the hike to a longer day trip, however it does bring complexities with locating the steep heather scramble. If you can find it and safely descend to the ridge, the remaining hike to X is easy and very scenic. The views along the way to X and from the summit are likely a little better than Trappers.
