Hiking Granite Mountain in the Mount Baker Wilderness
Contents
Granite Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 23.10Km (14.35 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 1,540m (5,052 Ft.)
Highest Elevation: 2,040m (6,693 Ft.)
Average Gradient: 13.33%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8.5 – 9.5 Hours
– Moderate: 7.5 – 8.5 Hours
– Fast: 6.5 – 7.5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~June to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Granite Mountain Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°54’38.3″N 121°35’30.8″W
Granite Mountain Overview
Not to be confused with the very popular Granite Mountain near Snoqualmie Pass, this Granite Mountain is a summit located in the Mount Baker Wilderness in northern Washington, accessed from Hannegan Pass Road off of Mount Baker Highway, which is suitable for all vehicles. There are a couple of ways to summit Granite Mountain, but the easiest is generally by following the Hannegan Pass trail up and over Hannegan Peak before continuing along the ridge to Granite Mountain. There is a maintained trail to Hannegan Peak, and a faint trail along part of the ridge towards Granite. Eventually the trail ceases to exist and you’ll be left to self-navigate to the summit of Granite.
Most of the hike is very simple, following a well groomed, fairly moderate trail up Hannegan Peak. The majority of hikers stop here to enjoy the views, however Granite Mountain sits over 150m higher and offers superior views to Hannegan, and for the moderate additional effort to get there this is well worth the extension.
While Mount Baker Highway is plowed year-round, Hannegan Pass Road is not, so access in the winter will not be possible without skinning or snowshoeing from the Shuksan Picnic Area at the beginning of the road, which will add significant distance. Peak summer is the best time to visit Granite Mountain, however spring works as well, just note that there may be some challenging creek crossings along the hike through the valley, with weak snow bridges causing issues at times.
Some parties opt to camp along the ridge, or even on the summit of Hannegan Peak, with several spots for doing so, though there are no water sources once the snow has all melted. Granite Mountain also has some flat space that may offer some camping possibility, however again there will be no water. Parking at the trailhead requires a Northwest Forest Pass, and this trail is dog friendly.
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Is Granite Mountain worthwhile?
Granite Mountain is an excellent extension to the fairly popular Hannegan Peak. Some parties could finish Hannegan Peak in 3.5 – 4 hours and may want a longer, more fulfilling trip. To those groups I would definitely suggest adding on Granite Mountain. The views from Granite are also better than from Hannegan as you get much clearer views of the nearby giants, as well as views into the Chilliwack Peaks.
How difficult is the hike to Granite Mountain?
Granite Mountain is obviously a fairly demanding hike based on the stats, however much of the trail is well groomed and graded, at least up to Hannegan Peak. From Hannegan Peak things get a bit more involved, but by that point most of the elevation gain is out of the way, and the biggest challenge will simply be route finding up to Granite.
Technically speaking the hike is mostly straightforward and shouldn’t really require the use of hands. Beyond Hannegan Peak you’ll begin by following a faint trail, but ultimately that gives way and you’ll be left to self-navigate to the summit. Other than some brief bushy sections though, it’s mostly simple travel.
Granite Mountain Route Information
The trailhead for Granite Mountain is the same as Hannegan Peak, from the end of Hannegan Pass Road off of the Mount Baker Highway. This road is only accessible from spring to fall when it is snow free. Hannegan Pass Road is mostly gravel and should be driveable in any vehicle, with just a few potholes dotted around that are easily avoided.
From the trailhead you should note an obvious trail leading into the forest. The next 6.5km of this hike follow this trail as it works its way through the valley towards Hannegan Pass, offering some excellent views of Nooksack Ridge and Mount Sefrit along the way. You’ll also get plenty of sightings of the glaciated Ruth Mountain off in the distance as you progress further through the valley.
The Hannegan Pass trail essentially traverses the lower southwest slopes of Granite Mountain, running parallel to (but above) Ruth Creek the entire way. Due to the steep slopes above, there are multiple creek crossings along this trail, some of which are quite wide. In the spring these creeks are often covered by an increasingly weakening snow bridge, which may cause some difficulties at times. By the summer crossing these creeks should be uneventful as the snow will be thawed and the creek levels significantly reduced or gone entirely.
It shouldn’t take long for hikers to reach Hannegan Pass, and once you reach the pass you will be greeted with a junction and some signage indicating which way to go, you’ll want to follow the trail to Hannegan Peak, which is to the left as you approach the junction.
The trail will continue its steady climb, zigzagging up towards the southwest ridge of Hannegan Peak, all the while with ever improving views as you gain elevation. Once you gain the ridge the views will fully open up to the east, west and south, with stunning views of Ruth Mountain, Mount Shuksan and Mount Sefrit in particular. Shortly ahead you will reach the broad summit of Hannegan Peak, where most people will stop and return back. It’s probably wise to take a rest here.
You’ll easily be able to see Granite Mountain to the northwest, as well as Hannegan North in front of it. Continuing north, beyond Hannegan Peak, you’ll begin following a less defined but still obvious trail. After descending around 70m you’ll begin climbing once again, and shortly ahead you’ll reach Hannegan North. There aren’t really any views here as it’s mostly forested, so there’s no point sticking around.
Continuing on, you should still be able to follow a faint trail in the direction of Granite as you descend once more. The trail will at times hug closely to a steep embankment climbers right, but you always have the option to bushwhack briefly in the trees if you want to avoid it. You’ll descend around 120m from Hannegan North to a low point along the ridge, and it’s around here that any semblance of trail will be lost to overgrowth.
If you haven’t already, you’ll want to pull a map out at this point just to make sure you’re on the right track. You’ll begin working through the thick, knee-height heather, taking care not to slip on the dense, alder-like branches underfoot. There may be slight evidence of a trail here and there, if so just do your best to follow it. Thankfully this is short lived and you’ll soon be on open meadow again.
Once you’re at the base of the southeast ridge of Granite Mountain you can either make a direct approach along the ridge, which will likely involve some scrambling, or if you follow my GPX the route will traverse across the southern slopes, involving some steep but manageable side hilling. There shouldn’t be any scrambling doing this, but it does involve some steep hiking. Thankfully the views throughout are now exceptionally nice.
Just as you are directly south of the summit, you can join the ridge and easily follow it along to the peak. The summit area is broad and spacious, with plenty of space to spread out and soak in the views, which will be unobstructed and 360 degrees. You can actually keep going along the ridge all the way to Mount Chardonnay if you really want, but this would be a truly monstrous day that very few would opt for.
Once you’re finished up on the summit you can simply retrace your steps back. Unfortunately this does involve some elevation gain to get back up to Hannegan North, then Hannegan Peak, but after that it’s smooth and efficient sailing back to the car.
When should I hike Granite Mountain?
Hannegan Pass Road will only be open once the snowline has receded, which will usually only be in May. Even then it’s probably best to wait until June for the snow to have thawed on at least the Hannegan Pass section of trail. Most parties will want to do this in the summer though, with July to October the peak season.
Top Tip
In the late summer there are usually no water sources anywhere along the trail (other than at the trailhead), so make sure you take whatever you need.
