1-7 days
The Ptarmigan Traverse is the classic alpine traverse in Washington. That's saying alot.
startpoint Cascade Pass Trailhead
endpoint Downey Creek Trailhead
The Ptarmigan Traverse is the classic alpine traverse in Washington. No other alpine venture offers so much history, pleasant cross-country travel, interesting side-trips for all ability levels, pleasant campsites, and alpine grandeur as this alpine tour along the spine of the North Cascade range from Cascade river to Suiattle river. (One tour comes very close to matching the Ptarmigan - the Bailey Range Traverse in the Olympics - but thats another subject!) So if the Ptarmigan "is all that", why don't we see its treatment in print or online more often? For one, this is not the Appalaichan Trail, with thousands of through-hikers - while it is popular among the alpine cogniscenti, its by no means popular! Both times I have been on this traverse I have seen either no other parties, or very few. No sir, its going to be you and the bears. Fred Beckey gives a description of the traverse under Ptarmigan Traverse in his Cascade Alpine Guide, volume 2, under the Approaches section.
The origial party that pioneered this route broke new ground with both the summits they climbed along the way, and the forging of the route itself. These days, while the Ptarmigan Traverse has been both skiied and run in less than 24 hours, it's really better savored as a multi-day excursion. The terrain you will travel over is pleasant and the whole package is not particularly committing: you can turn around anytime and retrace your steps especially if coming from the North,should the weather turn on you before your halfway point (or even after). If you are fit and the weather is favorable you will be able to do this traverse in however much time you have. Two days is rushing it and boy will you be tired on the drive home, but is possible. Three days is very possible if you choose not to summit any peaks along the way. Optimal are four and five day excursions, which will allow you enough time to drop your packs and bag some summits during a particular day's travel, but not require enormous packs. If you extend your traverse past five days, your packs get bigger and you will slow down accordingly, required to take more time because you've chosen to take more time.
In recent years the enormous windfall in the Bachelor Creek drainage has made approaching the route from the South even less appealing than it once was (15 miles in any way you cut it), so the standard direction of travel is currently North to South. When describing the Ptarmigan in the following sections, I will describe it as if you were travelling North to South, along the most-travelled route.
The traverse starts at Cascade Pass parking lot. However you plan to do this, getting an early start will be a great help: the first hours are a grind to Cascade Pass doable in the dark, then along Mixup Arm to Cache Col better in daylight. Cache Col is one of the high points along the traverse, and may require crampons, rope, and/or and ice axe to navigate safely. Once at the col a well-trod trail leads down towards Kool-Aid lake, which is traditionally the first night's camp-spot along the traverse. It only melts out in late June, so you might be camping on snow here. You can climb scramble routes up Hurry Up peak and other summits. If you are worth your alpine touring mettle, you will have arrived at Kool-Aid lake only 4-5 hours after leaving the car, so should you choose its easy to push on. The oft-talked about Red Ledge is the next waypoint on your route, and is found about 45 min south of Kool Aid Lake. It should be easy to navigate with crampons and ice axe. Once past Red Ledge, long alpine benches lead south to the Middle Cascade Glacier framed by Formidible on the right and Spider on the left, and which from Cache Col may look very intimidating; However, it is typically a casual stroll in early season and a moderate glacier route in late season. The Middle Cascade Glacier leads ultimately to Spider Formidible col, you may need a rope and glacier travel gear here on the upper glacier.
From Spider-Formidible col, the highest point since Cache Col, the route streaches out to the South before you. In the distance are LeConte, Sentinel, Old Guard and the LeConte glacier. Nestled on a small alpine bench are the idyllic Yang Yang lakes, traditionally the second night's campsite on the traverse. Yang Yang lakes are approximately 8-10 hours from the car. (Panorama image, late August 2003). The route takes you over snow (earlier season) or merciless scree to the lakes. From there a goat path breaches the cliffs above the lake to the Southwest. The path is not visible from camp, you have to hunt around for it. It is not an easily discernable path, and is probably the most difficult portion of the way to find along the route. Climb very steeply through the cliff band until you are atop the alpine bench underneath LeConte. As an alternative, you can hike Northwest up a gully and get atop the bench too, of visibility allows. Traverse along rocky terrain countouring generally South to the nose of the LeConte Glacier. Gaining the glacier and navigating past its lower reaches may require crampons, ice axe and rope. Once on the broad upper part, the going eases again. Traverse gently climbers right to the obvious Sentinel-LeConte col, the highest point along the traverse since Spider-Formidible col.
From here you can see the remainder of your route. The traverse now contours down and around Sentinel peak to the head of the South Cascade glacier, and an obvious small notch leading down a very steep scree or snow slope to White Rock lakes, perhaps the most picturesque campsite in the North Cascades. White Rock lakes is the traditional third night's campsite coming from the North, and is about the half-way point in terms of distance travelled. From the outlet of the lakes the route traverses slightly down and through alpine shub slopes to the toe of the Dana Glacier, which descends from Spire Point, and climbs the glacier to Spire Col, the large saddle between Spire Point and some of the Dome subsummits. This travel is fairly easy, and while accessing the Dana Glacier might appear difficult from White Rock Lakes, the glacier is low-angle and a way can be easily found. Once at Spire Col, it may not be clear how to best get down to the Itswoot ridge camp, and the start or a "real" trail that would take you out Bachelor and Downey Creeks to civilization, but don't worry, just go down the easiest safest way and you'll get there! This is a very steep descent over steep snow or jarring scree fields, take it slow and easy.
Itswoot ridge camp and Cub Lake, found slightly lower, mark the traditional southern terminus of the Ptarmigan traverse. Here you may encounter parties who are intent on climbing Dome peak and surrounding summits. If you have time, a summit of Dome peak via the Dome Glacier route now means you will never have to come back up the long and hot Downey Creek/Bachelor Creek approach to climb it in the future. Climbing to the summit of Dome, while it may look very far, is probably about a 4-hour jaunt from camp, easily done round-trip in half a day. The glacier is fairly benign except near the small col where you cross over to the North side. There, a steep snowslope takes you to a short snow arete, some scrambling, and finally and extrememly exposed 10-meter fourth-class traverse to the true summit (room for just one or two people).
The hike out Bachelor Creek from Cub lake is fairly uneventful, except for the massive slides that destroyed the forest and trail en route to the Bachelor Creek bottom. If travelling from Cub Lake, stay high and angle skiiers left to taller timber, and head straight downslope to link up with the trail beyond the area of destruction. From here the path out to the car is a long grind down a fairly well-established trail.
While the Ptarmigan Traverse is never desperately technical along its route, there is a significant amount of travel across glaciated terrain. Be prepared. At a minimum you should carry crampons, ice axe, and basic glacier travel gear. If attempting some of the summits along the way especially Formidible, Sentinel, or Old Guard, a helmet is strongly advised. Water is pleantiful along the route. Bears are also in attendence, be prepared to hang your food nightly and keep a clean camp. A map and compass are required along this route, especially if you have not been in the area before.
