Hiking Vesper Peak along Mountain Loop Highway
Contents
Vesper Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 12.10Km (7.50 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 1,260m (4,134 Ft)
Highest Elevation: 1,871m (6,139 Ft)
Average Gradient: 20.83%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 6 – 8 Hours
– Moderate: 5 – 6 Hours
– Fast: 4 – 5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Vesper Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°01’30.0″N 121°28’40.3″W
Vesper Peak Overview
Vesper Peak is a summit located in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, accessed via Mountain Loop Highway in Washington. With its white granite appearance, Vesper stands out on the horizon from many peaks in the area and makes for a short, steep and technically straightforward ascent. Vesper is a good introduction to off-trail scrambling for beginners, with plenty of simple terrain and relatively straightforward route finding throughout.
Access to Vesper Peak is from the Sunrise Mine Trailhead at the end of a Sunrise Mine Road, an FSR leading off of the Mountain Loop Highway. The FSR is typically tame, with most vehicles able to reach the trailhead, or at least get close enough to not be an issue. This is a popular hike on a sunny summer weekend, with lots of people typically on the trail and most of them going to the same place. An early start is recommended if you want to park at the trailhead.
Some people may choose to camp at Lake Elan / Vesper Lake below the summit and make this an overnight outing, perhaps combining Vesper Peak with the nearby Sperry Peak, but the majority of hikers will complete Vesper Peak as a day trip since the stats are very manageable. For confident and capable parties it is actually possible to traverse from Vesper Peak, over Wolf Peak and up Sperry Peak to form a loop. This involves some exposed scrambling, however, so should only be attempted by experienced groups.
Vesper Peak is predominantly a summer hike, with the main season running from July to October. Mountain Loop Highway closes in the winter, typically reopening around Memorial Day and closing again once the snow arrives in the late fall/early winter. In the early summer hikers can expect snow to linger on the trail, and the lake may not fully thaw until mid-summer thanks to its high elevation.
Dogs are welcome at Vesper Peak, but much of the trail is rock / talus so make sure your dog is used to hiking on this terrain before bringing them. The majority of the trail is also exposed to the sun, so prepare accordingly on a hot summer day.
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Is Vesper Peak worthwhile?
Vesper Peak offers stunning views for what is a relatively quick hike at just over 12km. While the hike is certainly steep, many parties can be finished within 6 hours, and the views relative to effort are pretty high. This makes for a good option for anybody looking to gain some experience in off-trail travel as the end of the hike requires some simple route finding in mostly benign terrain.
How difficult is the hike to Vesper Peak?
Vesper Peak is a short and steep hike at 12.1km and 1,260m. Thankfully it is also quite a moderate yet consistent climb, without too many exceedingly steep sections. The switchbacks up to Headlee Pass and the final climb up to the summit will leave you breathless, but they’re both over fairly quickly.
Technically speaking some people consider this a scramble, however most people can get to the summit without ever needing to use hands. There should be no exposure anywhere along the trail. An offline map is recommended as there are sections of the trail that aren’t always that obvious where a map may be useful, but for the most part navigation is straightforward.
Vesper Peak Route Information
As noted the trail for Vesper Peak begins from the Sunrise Mine Trailhead at the end of Sunrise Mine Road. While the road is rugged there aren’t many potholes and generally a sedan can get close enough to the trailhead for it not to be an issue. This hike is very popular on a sunny weekend, with many cars lining the road by mid-morning, so an early start is recommended.
The trail begins in the forest, with the first 1km actually descending as you work your way towards the Stillaguamish River, crossing a few other creeks along the way. After hopping across rocks/logs to get over the river, you continue to climb in the forest for another kilometer or so.
At this point you break out of the trees into the vast Wirtz Basin which sits beneath Morning Star Peak and Sperry Peak. As you progress through the basin, listen out for the squeaks of pikas who serenade you throughout your journey. Hearing them is one thing, seeing them is quite another.
The trail continues to climb through the valley, initially on a fairly distinguishable trail of dirt and small rocks, but as you progress further up you’ll find yourself more so on large talus. At times the trail can be hard to follow, but usually there are sufficient cairns to guide you. If in doubt, refer to your map, but if you don’t have one you can’t really go wrong by just ascending the rock to the valley’s end.
As you approach the end of the valley keep an eye out for a sudden right turn leading up towards Headlee Pass. Shortly ahead you’ll begin a series of steep switchbacks as you work your way to the pass. Be careful with hikers above and below as knocking rocks down is a very real possibility through this stretch of the trail.
Eventually you will reach the top of the pass where you’ll now begin a traverse across yet another rocky slope. In a few hundred meters you will reach the outflow of Lake Elan / Vesper Lake. If you intend to go to the lake you would now avoid crossing over this outflow and instead follow a trail heading towards the lake. Continuing to Vesper peak requires you to cross the outflow before following a rough trail.
The trail now briefly meanders through some heather before steepening once more as you climb up to the base of granite rock. Make sure to look back at the lake with the dramatic Sperry Peak backdrop.
Once you reach the granite the remainder of the route is mostly a self guided ascent. There may be the odd cairn here and there, but for the most part you just aim uphill towards the highest point and keep going. It’s pretty difficult to find any exposure or real scrambling, but you could certainly find it if you went looking. At times you may need to navigate around a bit of a bluff with some light scrambling but for the most part the granite is typically very grippy with good footwear. It won’t be too long until you reach the summit.
The views from the summit on a clear day are exceptionally nice, with excellent views of Del Campo Peak, Sperry Peak, Morning Star Peak and Big Four Mountain. You’ll also have a nice view of Copper Lake.
After recovering at the summit you simply return to the trailhead the same way you came.
When should I hike Vesper Peak?
Access to Vesper Peak will only be possible once Mountain Loop Highway opens for the year, usually around Memorial Day. Even so, spring and early summer will be a challenging time as snow will be abundant at these elevations well into early summer, so the prime season is really July to October. In the early season you may want to bring snow gear for the approach.
Top Tip
Bringing an offline map may be useful on this hike as there are sections where the trail isn’t that obvious.
The majority of the trail is sun exposed, even at lower elevations, so prepare accordingly.
