Spider Gap / Buck Creek Pass Loop with Image Lake add-on

[drm]

I did the loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness (southern part of Washngton's North Cascades) with the Image Lake add-on in four days, with camps at Lower Lyman Lake, Image Lake, and Buck Creek Pass. It is one of the premier backpacking loops in Washington - I personally think it is on a par with the Enchantments, but no permit hassles. Image Lake is 3.5 miless off the loop. You'd be crazy to do the loop and skip Miner's Ridge and Image Lake if you haven't been there before. Lots of mosquitoes in the entire Lyman Basin and Cloudy Pass as usual, but though there were bugs almost everywhere, most of the time they were moderate. Take your pick: flies during the day and mosquitoes at dawn/dusk. Except Lyman, where the mosquitoes don't mind sunny and hot. At least in the aftermath of the storms last week, the nights were cool - mid-40s. So that chased them away.

You have to cross Spider Gap on day 1 at 7050’, and there is no maintained trail. You go up the Spider Glacier on one side and down a permanent snowfield on the other. No crevasses or dangers like that, but if it is cold and the snow is hard, it is dangerous. Best to time it for warm afternoons, which I did. Still I took my Kahtoola Microspikes to be sure and used them on both sides. It was the first day after the storms when I was there and an inch or two of slush covered firm snow. I would say they were optional, but I had them and they did make it a bit easier and less squirrely.

Seasonal snow is essentially gone from the route otherwise. Only the fewest of small patches in sheltered spots.

I made one route mistake. I left the Phelps Creek Trail too early and headed up towards the Gap on what seemed to be a fine trail, but it dissipated, leading to some hellacious bushwhacking, hanging from (alder?) stems to keep from sliding down. But I saw that the real route must turn the right side of the vertical headwall above and was happy to find the trail there.

There were few people on the route. I was alone as far as I could see at Lower Lyman, one other group at Image Lake (from Holden) despite being a Saturday night, and I saw no other campers at Buck Ck Pass, though some guys walked through around and must have camped somewhere.

My full trip report is at http://www.deanmyerson.org/spider-gap but here are some highlights.
Spider Meadow


Spider Glacier (not as steep as it looks here - I would guess 10-20 deg.)


Lower Lyman


Lyman Basin (the obvious pass is Spider Gap)


Miner’s Ridge


Image Lake


Image Lake Camp


Panorama


direct link to a larger version of the panorama
http://www.deanmyerson.org/files/photo% ... %20079.jpg

Image Lake and Glacier Peak


Buck Creek Pass


Buck Creek avalance chutes


back to cold drinks in the cooler!

[miah66]

Wow Dean,

awesome trip! Going to have to get up there someday.

[-Q-]

Yowsers, thats just awesome!!


Ditto Miah... I really need to get up to the North Cascades someday.

[TwoPaw]

I love GPW. Also highly recommend Ice Lakes. Thanks for the report as I hope to romp around later in a few weeks.

[guernica]

Gorgeous. Definitely a bucket list trip for me, that I'm hoping to finally make it to this fall.

I've heard mixed reports on Image Lake- it's worth it, not worth it- and that camping is better along Cloudy Pass. Thoughts?

[drm]

I've heard mixed reports on Image Lake- it's worth it, not worth it- and that camping is better along Cloudy Pass. Thoughts?

Huh. Cloudy Pass was mosquito hell - talked to one other group that stopped there for lunch and had a horrible time. I'm sure it would be great once the bugs are gone, but then it will be a dry camp. Now there is a snowbank for water. It took the mozzies about 30 seconds to realize I was there when I stopped for a few photos and a snack. There are also camps about a half mile below the pass next to a creek. Don't know if it will dry up.

Camp at Image Lake is one of the 10 most dramatic campsites I've had in my entire backpacking career. You can't camp at Image Lake itself, but that was also kind of buggy (though not as bad as Cloudy Pass or Lyman Lakes). But the designated camping area below the lake still has fantastic views of Glacier Peak, so in this case being away from the lake was not a bad thing. Even the toilet has fantastic views.

[Grannyhiker]

There are a lot of sidetrips that you missed. One is from Image Lake to Canyon Lake, north of Miner's Ridge, to which not many people go. That would be a fairly easy 2 dayer or a long out and back (lots of elevation change)(maps showing the trail following the countours around the head of the creek basin are wildly incorrect). From Buck Creek Pass, the sidetrip south toward High Pass is a day-long trip, considered mandatory by most. Shorter trips from Buck Creek Pass include Flower Dome (mandatory for watching sunset and moonrise on Glacier Peak while bathed in heavenly lupine fragrance) and Liberty Cap.

[drm]

There are a lot of sidetrips that you missed. One is from Image Lake to Canyon Lake, north of Miner's Ridge, to which not many people go. That would be a fairly easy 2 dayer or a long out and back (lots of elevation change)(maps showing the trail following the countours around the head of the creek basin are wildly incorrect). From Buck Creek Pass, the sidetrip south toward High Pass is a day-long trip, considered mandatory by most. Shorter trips from Buck Creek Pass include Flower Dome (mandatory for watching sunset and moonrise on Glacier Peak while bathed in heavenly lupine fragrance) and Liberty Cap.

I considered Canyon Lake, but the trail is listed as not maintained and abandoned, and the only report I could find said a lot of trees were down. It would require an extra day anyway. I went to Flower Dome, but the trail was really steep - not welcome after all the ups and downs getting there, and the flowers were just as good at Buck Creek Pass itself. Liberty Cap would have been nice, but it was again uphill and I had done enough up and down for the day. I chose Flower Dome because I thought it would be less vertical gain than Liberty Cap - not sure if it actually was.

[guernica]

Huh. Cloudy Pass was mosquito hell - talked to one other group that stopped there for lunch and had a horrible time. I'm sure it would be great once the bugs are gone, but then it will be a dry camp. Now there is a snowbank for water. It took the mozzies about 30 seconds to realize I was there when I stopped for a few photos and a snack. There are also camps about a half mile below the pass next to a creek. Don't know if it will dry up.

Camp at Image Lake is one of the 10 most dramatic campsites I've had in my entire backpacking career. You can't camp at Image Lake itself, but that was also kind of buggy (though not as bad as Cloudy Pass or Lyman Lakes). But the designated camping area below the lake still has fantastic views of Glacier Peak, so in this case being away from the lake was not a bad thing. Even the toilet has fantastic views.[/quote]

Thank you! Sealed the deal then- if I'm gonna make the trip, may as well hit Image Lake. I have been wanting to do this trip ever since I moved to the PNW and *discovered* hiking. Must. Happen.

Great report.

[romann]

That loop seems incredible - appreciate great information and pictures. Surprising you didn't see many people in Spider Meadows, such a well-known place - maybe it's just early in the season?

I almost went there & even made a trip plan last summer, but driving distance kept me away. Have to make it this year.