Hiking Gunn Peak in the Wild Sky Wilderness
Contents
Gunn Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 10.50Km (6.50 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 1,335m (4,380 Ft.)
Highest Elevation: 1,902m (6,240 Ft.)
Average Gradient: 25.40%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 9 – 10 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 9 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Class 3 scramble, moderate exposure
Gunn Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 47°47’33.3″N 121°27’32.8″W
Gunn Peak Overview
Gunn Peak is the highest mountain in the Wild Sky Wilderness, a rugged and dramatic wilderness area situated east of Seattle on Highway 2, near the town of Baring. While these aren’t the highest mountains by any means, this region is scattered with numerous jagged peaks, offering incredible views for those able to access it.
Access is indeed the limiting factor, as Gunn Peak is not an easy mountain to reach. The standard route approaches from the Barclay Lake trailhead to the south, and is categorically not a hike in any traditional sense. The forest climb up to the alpine is incessantly steep, following a faint trail and involves sections of scrambling on slick, dirt covered rock, as well as narrow traverses beneath cliffs and across a waterfall with some exposure. All of this is only to reach the high point between Gunn Peak, Tailgunner Peak and Wing Peak. From there, you’ll need to self navigate around a subsidiary bump and clamber up a boulder field before scrambling up a Class 3 gulley with moderate exposure. Thereafter, you’ll wrap around to the northern side of the peak, traversing a narrow ledge before some easy Class 2 scrambling to the top. Long story short, Gunn Peak is assuredly not a beginner or even intermediate hike, it is a very involved, rugged route that constantly challenges. Do not go into this thinking you’re just hiking up a steep trail. Despite the short stats, this hike will take most parties over 8 hours.
Obvious challenges aside, Gunn Peak offers some truly spectacular views, as well as a unique “Infinity Tarn” nearby that is well worth the slight detour to see. Some parties will also choose to add on the nearby Tailgunner and/or Wing Peak. The former is an easy hike up some slabby rock and won’t take long, plus the infinity tarn is on the way. The latter is a more challenging scramble than Gunn, still Class 3 but more exposed. Adding Tailgunner will only require an hour or so maximum. Adding Wing will require a little longer.
Accessing the trailhead is straightforward, with the Barclay Lake trailhead suitable for all vehicles with some careful driving. You will need a Northwest Forest Pass to park here.
In terms of seasonality, Gunn Peak is predominantly a summer only hike. Any snow/ice along this trail will make things incredibly difficult. As such I would suggest sticking to peak summer, likely meaning July to October is the best season.
While dogs are welcome in the area, this is a difficult hike even for humans, so bringing a dog will only add to the complexity. That’s not to say it’s not possible, it’s just difficult. The scramble up the hidden gulley will be challenging with a dog, and only the most adventurous pup’s should attempt it. They will almost certainly need a boost from their human companion.
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Is Gunn Peak worthwhile?
Gunn Peak is pretty much a “get what you give” trail. This is a relentlessly unforgiving route, but the rewards from the top are undeniably worth it on a sunny day. The infinity tarn alone draws some parties as it’s incredibly unique and not something I’ve ever seen on any other hike. The views once you break out of the tree line are top notch, as all the peaks around here appear to be impenetrable, with jagged towers in abundance. Overall, Gunn Peak is an extremely worthwhile hike for those willing to get there.
How difficult is the hike to Gunn Peak?
With an average gradient of over 25%, Gunn Peak is a very steep hike. Once you take out the relatively flat beginning of the trail, this increases to 30%, making it one of the steepest hikes on this website. Suffice it to say, while a short hike at 10.50km (6.50 Miles), it’s certainly not a quick hike and it’s going to be a lot slower than you might imagine.
Technically speaking this route has it all. You’ll cross over a couple of creeks right at the start, then the initial climb will be up a very steep and pretty muddy trail. After more steep climbing you’ll eventually reach a cliff band that you need to climb to the base of. This is even steeper, slick and not easy to navigate. You will be on all fours here. You’ll eventually traverse beneath this cliff band and have to downclimb a narrow section to a waterfall, before climbing out the other side. Eventually you’ll break out of the forest into an overgrown trail, with yet more steep climbing and simple scrambling up to the high point between all the peaks. You’ll now navigate around a subsidiary bump, climb up a very steep boulder field and find the hidden gulley. The gulley is a short Class 3 scramble with moderate exposure. Beyond that the remainder is mostly hiking and Class 2 scrambling, with a narrow ledge traverse just before the summit. All in all, this is a very involved hike throughout.
Gunn Peak Route Information
Parking for Gunn Peak is at the Barclay Lake trailhead, which is suitable for all vehicles if you drive with care. You will need a Northwest Forest Pass to park here. You can actually shave off a little bit of the hike as the trail actually begins earlier along the road and there is space to park on the side of the road here. This also frees up spots at the Barclay Lake trailhead, which can be busy on a weekend.
If you parked at the Barclay Lake trailhead, hike back down the road to the junction with another road on your right. Follow this spur road, and towards the end you’ll find a faint trail going into the forest. Following this briefly will bring you to Barclay Creek.
There are essentially two back to back creek crossings here, both fairly straightforward hopping across boulders and deadfall. On the other side you should pick up the trail again in the forest. The next few hundred meters will be a simple affair, but in short order you will begin the never ending grind up.
The first couple of hundred meters of climbing will be through some particularly muddy and steep terrain. Ascending this isn’t the most pleasant, and descending it is even worse as you’re constantly having to take tentative steps to prevent slipping. Thankfully it eases off in dry dirt as you gain elevation, but the same can’t be said about the gradient, which remains steep.
After ascending around 500m (1,640 Ft.) you’ll reach a particularly steep section with no obvious trail through it. Refer to your map if you need navigation, but essentially you’ll be ascending slick, dirt covered rock that is easy to slip on, requiring the use of hands here and there. Some parties will be put off here and turn around as a slip could result in a painful slide down.
At the top of this you’ll reach the base of some cliffs which you’ll now begin traversing beneath. It’s relatively simple travel before the trail descends down towards a waterfall. Hugging the cliff, and with the protection of branches, you’ll squeeze through and find yourself with a short scramble to reach the base of the falls. It looks a little daunting initially, but once you get going it’s not as bad as it looks. Once at the base of the waterfall you climb back out the other side, this time on much more pleasant, rocky terrain.
Beyond the waterfall the technicality of the trail eases off, returning to hiking along an obvious, yet still incredibly steep trail. You’ll reach a nice viewpoint of Baring Mountain that is worth a quick stop, before continuing on ahead. The trail soon exits the forest and enters a stretch of overgrown brush. This used to be heavy bushwhacking, but with increased popularity there’s now an obvious trail to follow, though you’ll still be brushing up against overgrowth.
Eventually this eases off and you’ll reach alpine meadows with ever improving views of Baring Mountain and Wing Peak. There will be a few stretches of simple scrambling up rocky outcroppings along the way, but for the most part it’s simple hiking to the high point between Wing, Tailgunner and Gunn.
If you intend to go to the infinity tarn (you should), follow the route towards Tailgunner. There is no trail to follow as it’s all rock here, but you should easily locate the tarn after climbing briefly. If you are intending to summit Tailgunner, it’s quite simple navigation to the top with no scrambling needed.
Returning to the high point between all the peaks, you should refer to your map for navigation. You’ll now drop down and begin following a trail at the south end of a subsidiary bump, which you’ll now traverse around. There should be a faint trail to follow that descends briefly, before beginning the traverse around this peak.
Once you’ve traversed around to the northern end of this bump you should see a very obvious boulder field fanning out from Gunn Peak. You’ll now want to climb up this boulder field, which is very steep and filled with boulders large and small. You’ll probably think you’re aiming for the notch at the top of the boulder field, however as you climb up, a hidden gulley will reveal itself to your right. Hiking to the base of this gulley is straightforward, at which point you can assess the route quite well. The gulley itself can often be damp, so some parties prefer to scramble the rock next to the gulley. This is a little more exposed to a fall but potentially a bit easier. We took the gulley up and the rock down, and both routes worked fine. The scramble is Class 3 with moderate exposure, but it’s short and will be over in 3 – 4 moves.
Once off the Class 3, you’ll push through some trees following an obvious trail, then begin traversing beneath the southern aspect of Gunn, hiking along a simple boulder field. You’ll then climb steeply towards a gap in the ridge between Gunn and an eastern subsummit. There will now be a narrow ledge to drop down onto on the northern side of the peak, before climbing up the other side. Thankfully this ledge is mostly protected by trees on the exposed side, so it’s not too bad and any exposure is over within a few steps.
Beyond this the remainder of the route to the summit is simple, unexposed hiking to the summit. The views from the top are of course outstanding, with the nearby Merchant, Wing and Baring stealing the show. You’ll also see Rainier, Glacier and even Baker on a clear day.
After resting up at the top, you simply return back the way you came. The scramble back down the gulley was manageable facing out. Descending back down the forest is steep and slippery, so take your time.
When should I hike Gunn Peak?
July to October is your best bet for this one to avoid any chances of snow along the way. August and September would be the best timing. You’ll want to start this hike early in the day as it can take longer than you’d expect. If you plan to add on Tailgunner or Wing, this will obviously require extra time, likely a few more hours.
Top Tip
Poles are useful for descending the steep forest, especially the muddy sections that are so steep it’s hard not to slip. Most parties will also wear a helmet for the scramble.
The infinity tarn is well worth the detour even if you don’t go up Tailgunner. There are some rocks in the tarn you can stand on for a nice photo. Don’t stand in the mud in the tarn, it’s disgusting.
