We didn’t want to take any risks with avalanches on this warm weekend, so we opted for a safe but steep ascent up a ridgeline to Hidden Lake Peaks. This spot is popular in the summer for good reason – it offers an excellent and intimate view of the rugged and glaciated peaks surrounding Cascade Pass and beyond. This would be my first time seeing these views while all the peaks were still blanketed in snow and my first ascent via the winter route.
The forest road up from the Cascade River is notorious for good reason. It isn’t the worst road I’ve been on in the mountains, but it’s not too far off. It is steep and quite potholed, and it appeared that there had been some recent trees that had fallen and blocked the road that had thankfully been cleared.
The winter route begins about a mile before the summer trailhead at a non-descript toe of a ridgeline marked by a pink ribbon. It is STEEP from the start, even by North Cascades climbers path standards, for the first 1200 feet. There is a faint bootpath to follow, but if you lose it, it is easy to just stay on the ridgeline and head straight up. After a while, the ridge eases off a bit, but it still climbs quickly towards the alpine.
Because of this year’s high snow levels, we didn’t reach consistent snow until about 4800’ and didn’t put on snowshoes until around 5600’, shortly before intersecting the summer trail and breaking out of the trees. From the moment we broke out, we could see the open, low-angled slopes of the main peak above us, and we had some regrets about not bringing our skis. Next time!
The higher Hidden Lake Peak seemed like a more straightforward winter destination than the lookout itself, so we trudged straight up towards the summit, taking a few short breaks on the way. Seeing the snow-covered Hidden Lake was special and the 360-degree views of the surrounding peaks were jaw-dropping. This has got to be one of the best bang for your buck winter/spring viewpoints in the North Cascades. We took a long time on the summit and met a cool guy and his dog who are an admirable skiing duo.
The guy has been climbing and skiing in the Cascades since the 70s and pointed out some unbelievable lines he had ridden over the years. One in particular was a narrow couloir that shot straight down to Hidden Lake. It seemed like there was hardly room for a human to fit in it, much less make a turn. After a while we watched him and his dog descend off into the Hidden Lake Creek Valley, before we began our descent the way we came.
The descent was straightforward, and we saw some people heading up to spend the night in the hopes of seeing the forecasted aurora. We were pretty jealous of them, lights or not.
We eventually transitioned back to dirt and tested our quads on the steep plunge back to the road, reaching the car 7 hours and 20 minutes after leaving it. I think I might have set a personal record for the sheer wetness of my socks on this trip – warm temps, mushy snow, and old boots will do that. I’m definitely keeping this on my short list of winter destinations, and next time bringing my splitboard.
Final Stats: 6.4 miles / 3987 feet of gain
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