Trailhead location:
48.08256°N, 120.83502°W
Phelps Creek Trailhead Rd
Leavenworth, WA 98826
Directions:
From Seattle, take I-5 North to 520 East. Get off on 405 North. After approximately 9 miles, take the exit for 522 East. Turn left on to Highway 2 after 14.2 miles. Stay on Hwy 2 for 70 miles until you turn left on Highway 207. Take a left on Chiwawa Loop Road, and then a right on Highway 22. Turn left on NFD 62 road and follow the road until it turns into gravel. After approximately 13 miles on the gravel, Phelps Creek Trailhead Road will split off on the right. A parking lot is at the end of the road, roughly 2.2 miles from the main road.
Day 1:
Once you reach the Phelps Creek trail head, be sure to sign in at the register. Also note that a NW Forest Pass is required to park or you must pay $5/day for parking in advance at the trail head.
The actual trail starts along an old mining road that winds through the forest for several miles. An hour or so into the hike, you will reach a wide rocky stream. Here you will get one of your first glimpses at the upcoming mountains that you must cross in the coming days. We chose to stop here for a quick lunch before continuing on.
Continuing down the trail, you will eventually reach a gorgeous alpine meadow. There are camp sites on either side of the meadow that you can use. If continuing past the meadow, be careful that you stay on the trail. There are several paths that look like the main trail but really just lead to a camp site.
Once you pass the meadow, the hard part of the trip begins. You must climb several hundred feet to the camp site for the night. Due to the vertical gain, this .5 mile section of the trail takes a significant portion of your day. Once you’re at the top though, you will be greeted by an awe-inspiring view of the meadow below you and of spider glacier behind you. Running water is available via a nearby stream and a latrine is available with a rather steep hike up the hillside following the signs.
Be warned that you shouldn’t plan on camping here if the weather forecast has anything nasty in the near future. This camp site may be beautiful, but it acts like a wind tunnel when weather comes around.
Day 2:
Wake up early to watch the sunrise over the valley and to get a nice hot breakfast for the hardest day of the trip. The trail officially ends at the foot of the glacier and doesn’t start up again until you’re over the other side. Depending on the time of year, you may need crampons or other mountaineering gear to get over the glacier. There is a way around the glacier via the rock, but taking the trip directly up the glacier is much easier. An ice axe is always handy and you should consider bringing one along. If not, at least bring along trekking poles. They will make this ascent much easier and much less dangerous. Try to stay towards the right side of the glacier and away from the river running under the left.
The 900-foot climb up the glacier isn’t very steep until the end where a 40-foot section gets significantly steeper. When we went through in August, there were sets of fairly fresh footprints that we followed. This allowed for a much easier ascent of this section that otherwise would have involved making our own kick steps. Be sure to take a 5-minute hike to the right side of the glacier right before the top. You will get an amazing view of the top of a valley that most people miss along the way.
Once you’re over the top, you have a significant choice to make. You can either stay to the right and travel down the moraine via a rocky trail, or take the trail to the left and go over a couple smaller snow fields to save some time. We decided to go through the snow fields. The trail disappears here almost entirely and you must hunt for a series of cairns to find your way back to where the trail begins. This took us a significant amount of time and we ended up eating lunch on the moraine.
Once the groomed trail starts again, it is mostly flat past Lyman Glacier all the way to Lyman Lake. You will pass a few camp sites along the way, but be aware that bears have been spotted here and be sure to use a bear can.
Right before you arrive at the shores of Lyman Lake, you will come to a rather swift river. There is a single log that has been setup as a bridge across this river that you must cross. This is probably one of the most dangerous sections of the entire trip so don’t take it lightly. Cross with care and it’s a short hike to the shores of the lake.
As you’ve probably noticed, the flies can be ferocious on this trail and the lake is no exception. We stopped to refill our water bottles before the climb to cloudy pass and received our fair share of them. I would have liked to have spent a little more time at the lake, but the bugs were too big of a problem to spend any more time than necessary to refill the bottles.
At this point you’re probably pretty tired, but there’s a couple more strenuous climbs ahead of you. The long meandering path quickly turns upward towards cloudy pass. There are some amazing sights along the way of a couple valleys that aren’t to be missed. Once at the pass, be sure to turn around to see exactly how far you’ve come today. It’s an amazing sight and a good excuse for a well deserved rest.
Continue over Cloudy Pass and look straight ahead to see Suiattle Pass where you’re headed. It’s a long walk through the trees down quite a few switchbacks until you start going back up again and the views start improving. Be extremely careful in this section of the trail as it gets steep and rocky. A couple sections of the trail are somewhat washed out to add to the fun.
Eventually you’ll reach Suiattle Pass and the hard part of the day is over. Head downhill for 3 miles to the camp at Miner’s Creek for a well deserved rest for the night.
Day 3:
Wake up early for yet another hard day on the trail. The next 5 miles include multiple climbs up long sections of trail. Head down the trail until you reach the washed out section of the PCT that has been closed to foot traffic as of 2003. Take the trail at the left and continue on your way. You’ll start to reach the first climb of the day and will also reach you first obstacles. As of August, there were a few sections of a winter avalanche that hadn’t been cleared out yet. You will have to navigate your way through the debris on your way up the trail. It isn’t terribly difficult, but does take some extra care.
By mid-morning you should reach middle ridge which is a perfect spot for a break. There are some unauthorized camp sites here that don’t have access to running water, so I wouldn’t recommend staying here for the night. Continue on the trail towards Buck Creek Pass. Along the way there will be some fantastic views of Glacier Peak, so be sure to have your camera ready.
The trail continues down towards small creek where we took a break to refill our water bottles. By now you’re probably pretty tired, but the day isn’t over yet. There’s yet another climb to Buck Creek Pass that must be crossed on your way back home. Once you’re over the pass, there’s another excellent view of glacier peak and another view of the valley you’re about to descend into.
Begin the 8 mile descent to the end of the trail watching out for avalanche debris along the way. Once again the flies get ferocious, but nothing you haven’t come to expect on the trail. Eventually you will descend into the woods and the views will disappear for the rest of the trip. Camp at one of the campsites along the trail in the valley. Again, be sure to watch out for bears in the valley. We saw one on our hike out, so they are certainly in the area.
*Note that the batteries died on our GPS for part of this section of the trail so the trail is broken on our map at this point.
Day 4:
By now you’re probably wanting a good shower and real food again. Thankfully, today is the last day of the trip and should be fairly short. Depending how far you hiked the previous day, it should be a fairly easy hike out to the trail head. The majority of the trail is flat or down hill, so this section of the trail doesn’t take much time at all. You will have to cross some avalanche debris along the way, but nothing you haven’t seen before. Be aware that near the end of the trail there is a section of private land and a small mining camp near the trail head. No trespassing signs are posted and even though some guide books say you can pass through this area, I wouldn’t take the risk. Take the longer trail around the private land back to the trail head.
At this point you are roughly 3 miles from where you parked. If you have multiple people in your group, I would leave most of the people and all the gear at the trail head and have 1 or 2 people hike to the car. You drove up the hill on Phelps Creek Trailhead Road on the way in so you should be familiar with just how long and hot the road will be. Grab your car and don’t forget to sign out in the trail log. Pick up the rest of your party at the other trail head and begin the long drive down the dirt road back to civilization.
Two suggestions I would make, for those considering this trip: 1. 5 or 6 days would be nice, either for a more relaxed pace or to allow side trips to incredible spots like Miner’s Ridge, High Pass, or the meadow below Fortress Mtn. (on a way trail).
2. September. In all my 40-odd years of backpacking in western WA, two of my three worst experiences with bugs have been in the upper Buck Creek and upper Railroad Creek valleys, both on this loop. I’ve also had fine trips through Buck Creek Pass, even in August, so I guess it’s luck of the draw. And of course you get great wildflowers if you go before mid-August. Good luck!