We're searching for a replacement hike for our Wonderland Trail trip. So far we have narrowed the search down to 3 candidates:
- A section of the PCT in Northern California (JMT maybe)
- Olympic Coast
- Boundary Trail
1 is challenged for us logistically at such short notice. 2 sounds fun – but too similar to our WCT experience last year and probably not "epic" enough. 🙂
3 is an interesting candidate. Its way out in the wilderness, with Grizzlies and Gray Wolves, and best of all – mostly snow free (so we believe). Sounds entertaining…
Length: 98.0 miles
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Overall rating: 10
Season: This trail is accessible July-September.
Boundary Trail is located in Okanogan National Forest.
Time to study the maps and see if we can make a loop out of it. With 6-7 hrs drive from Seattle, travel time will whittle our trail time down a little.
Brett – I hiked the Paysaten East to West during my thru-hike of the Pacific Northwest Trail last summer and I would highly recommend this wilderness area as a substitute for your Wonderland loop.
The craggy peaks, expansive alpine meadows, well-worn trail tread, beautiful alpine tarns and utter lack of roads made the Paystaten the absolute highlight of my 1200 mile trek.
http://samh.net/backpacking/pnt
– Sam
wow – your trip looks spectacular. there’s a ton there – i just flicked through the pictures in the diary – i can’t wait to read it in more depth.
A group of us have done over 200 miles in the Pasayten the last four summers. Four 5-6 day trips stzrting in East nazd working our way West. Will be doing the middle and West fork Pasayten areas this summer. There are basucally four trailheads, Iron Gate, Chewuck, Bill Goat and Slate Peak. So to get to the northern parts is a couple days in an a couple out for the most part. The most scenic is the trail from Iron Gate and to Cathedral Lakes. You can go out Chewuck from this spot, might make a good loop for you.
Take warm clothes, we hzve been snowed on many times in August, espceially the later part. it is high sierra-like country and makes its own weather. Below freezing many nights. There’s plenty of firewood, so you can have fire every night which is nice. If you are on boundary trail you might see a few people. Anywhere off that you might meet one or two, sometime we have seen no one for days, two the entire trip. You are a long way from a road, and nobody to help so bring told and survival skills. Besides the boundary trial they are not maintained much, are rough and hard to find, are not marked and its real easy to get off a side trail and go the wrong way. NOT the PCT or Wonderland. Have seen no grizz sign, lots of black bear sign and seen bears. Have seen wolf sign, no wolves. Campsite can be hard to come by too, and there are no guidebooks per say. You have to be flexible in schedule for sure.
Check out the 2010 and 2011 pictures on Picasa at https://picasaweb.google.com/106230331596852698077 2010 is north from Billy Goat and around Sheep Mountain. Good stuff, not for rookies. You will be alone and navigationally confused at times. Green Trails maps are campfire fiction and suggestion of where the trail might be up there!!
hey greg – thanks for the photo link… you just reminded me that i never posted my last pasayten trip – so just got that uploaded 🙂
happy trails!