I wasnt quite reorganized to hit the trail again early Saturday morning. Many loop hikes and backpacking trips can be done from this area as well. Summer average highs are 70-80F, and lows are 35-45F. Horseshoe Basin is one of the few places in the Lower 48 to contain arctic tundra and is home to bears, deer and pronghorn sheep, if you know where to look. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate NWHikers.net earns from qualifying purchases when you use our. Windy Peak (8,334 ft): one of Washington's highest summits that can be accessed by a trail. Having been to Horseshoe Basin/Pasayten twice, I think the best campsites are on the lower SW slopes of Armstrong Mountain and South of Snehumption Gap. REI / updates, images, or resources. From your camp you can hike North crosscountry about 5 miles over a small mountain-easy to the border marker. . & Four Point Lake. Cougar Lake was peacefully beautiful in the light of day and the air was full of the tiny meeps of pika. Panorama of the Pasayten from Horseshoe Basin in the east. This is a popular trail for backpacking, birding, and camping, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. This makes a perfect campsite for your first night or a good location to set up base camp to explore your immediate surroundings for a day or two. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Had to turn around. Head up 1 mile to a 7700 ft shoulder and then traverse open slopes to the summit of Horseshoe Mountain. 418. fewer flies (highly annoying in summer), smaller crowds. See more trip photos here. you can take at this route/place. After Drake Creek, the trail climbs again another 1,000 feet in the next 1.5 miles to Lucky Pass, with beautiful views of the Lost River Valley. I didn't have time to look for it when I was there. 1, Wouldn't there be a good chance of contracting Hanta Virus from staying in the cabins? Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your Toilets and trash facilities are present. We headed back to the trail and continued on, finally reaching the historic cabins between First and Middle Hidden Lakes at Stub Creek, which were wrapped and saved from the fire. From Cascade Pass, head southeast descending into the Pelton Basin, and crossing Doubtful Creek after a series of downhill switchbacks. HUGE electrical storm that night, thunder and lighting, quite the show. We stopped at the cabins for a lunch break and explored the area. From Tonasket, turn left onto the Loomis Highway. Partly sunny, with a high near 46. But probably buggier. The trail drops down to the junction at Cougar camp, just past the right turn for Smith lakeleft for Louden lake, right for Goodenough peak. Our tax identification number is EIN 91-0900134. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. The next night you can either stay at a nice campsite near a spring just before the drop to Sheeite Pass or a nice tarn 100 yards to your left off trail, or continue on about 4 miles farther to the Tungsten Mine cabins or campsites.The smaller cabin has a sink in it with water from a gravity well behind the cabin. Washington Trails Association is 501(c)(3) nonprofit. From the sound of it, there was a pretty healthy pika population living in the surrounding talus fields that had survived the fire just fine! Continue straight to Horseshoe Basin. The unmistakable sound of a beaver! Most of the trail to Cougar Lake after Diamond Creek traverses below Island Mountain and has minimal climbing, which I was thankful for! I was soggy and cold as we unpackeded camp, then Laurel asked, would you like a margarita?. Cool to watch them. oe 1tHE OFan STHE NATIONAL FORESTS OF WASHINGTON AT WHATCOM PASSWASHINGTON NATIONAL FOREST a oe let 2 ee i ; | United States Department of Agriculture :: Forest Service :: 1920 WELCOME TO NATIONAL FORESTS SPIRIT LAKECOLUMBIA NATIONAL FOREST U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUETURE . Tax ID: 27-3009280. The green forest soon yields to the charred remains of the 2006 Tripod fire. Day 2 - Saturday, September 2. Follow the trail to the trail intersection at WP4 and then take a 1.8-mile roundtrip jaunt up Topaz Mountain. Turn West on County road #4066 which becomes Forest Service Road #39. Ruffwear / This is a list of titles that represent the variations of trips We decided to keep our cozy camp at Cougar Lake and day hike to Big Hidden Lake with lighter packs. Weather in Horseshoe Basin (Washington), . As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." Huh? I responded, convinced my ears were playing tricks on me. The drive to the trailhead may be long, but the destination is absolutely worth it.At the easterly edge of the Pasayten Wilderness, almost touching the Canadian border, lies Horseshoe Basin; a truly unique and beautifully remote place. We watched giddily as he made laps all over the lake, slapping his tail as he went. Pass out of the burn area at 3.3 miles and continue onwards and upwards. Once at Eightmile Pass, the trail descends 1,000 feet in the next 2 miles down to Drake Creek. Both of these trails can be included as loops as well - Check your map! Trail: Boundary Trail (533) to Horseshoe Basin and beyond Area: Pasayten Wilderness, Okanogan NF, Loomis Access: Loomis, FS 39 (Toats Coulee Road) to FS (3900)500 to Iron Gate "Campground" Length: Up to 94 Miles, 7.2 mls to Louden Lake, 12 miles to Haig Mtn. Weather was partly cloudy and cool, in the 50s. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. Sponsorship funds, in part, programs that enhance the trail system, bring new opportunities to trailside communities and provide summer jobs for local youth through our trail stewardship programs. Along the way, the PNT crosses three national parks, seven national forests, and two other national scenic trails. "Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." East wind 6 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Horseshoe Basin is a diverse expansive paradise of alpine tundra, ghost forest reminiscent of the Tripod Fire of 2006, a forest of larches and easy-to-scramble mountains rising above the wildflower meadow. The blow downs open up closer to Sunny Pass. Not sure what they were after but there were no mice or prairie dogs around this area. Night 1 - Trail #534 by Cinch Creek. Secure the necessary permits before heading out. Continue on the spur road for nearly six miles until you arrive at the trailhead. The brushy 1.5-mile spur trail into Horseshoe Basin (accessed from the main east-west Stehekin River Trail below Cascade Pass) had become overgrown in places to the point of near impenetrability. From the summit, head cross-country down the northwestern slopes of the peak and re-find the main trail. I watched in amazement as Laurel pulled margarita mix, limes, tequila, guacamole, and fresh carrots from her pack. adventures and follow local regulations. Tips: You can skip the nasty road to the Iron Gate TH, and hike a little farther instead, by parking at Toats Coulee Creek. Subscribe to our free email newsletter for hiking events, news, gear reviews and more. What is on the Canadian side? Outdoor Research / A chance of showers. The Horseshoe Basin area provides almost unlimited campsites to the climber and backpacker. 2006-2021 SummitPost.org. Includes up to 14-days of hourly forecast information, warnings, maps, and the latest editorial analysis and videos from the BBC . We found ourselves drawn to the Billy Goat and Hidden Lakes area of the Pasayten. Theres a small camping area right off the trail with easy access to water, but its surrounded by a lot of soot and burned, unstable trees. The Pasayten contains more than one-half-million acres of designated wilderness. Returning via the Boundary Trail adds about a mile to the walk. I was happy to give my legs a break and since it was only 3 miles to the upper lake, wed have all day to explore. Nature will bear the closest inspection. (45). If you really need to go further, by all means, go further. So much in nature goes completely unnoticed until you truly sit down, be still, watch, and listen. A slight chance of rain showers, mixing with snow after 8pm, then gradually ending. Smith Lake is interesting as is Louden Lake. (7), Comments Read More >, Local Forecast OfficeMore Local Wx3 Day HistoryMobile WeatherHourly Weather Forecast, Chance SnowShowers thenSlight ChanceRain/Snow, Zone Area Forecast for Upper Slopes of the Eastern Washington Cascades Crest, WA. Didn't get any sleep the first night and my socks were gone in the morning. The Pacific Northwest Trail Association is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Nice flat grade for many miles and very gradual slope for any of the hills. This 10.5 mile hike from the Goodenough Trailhead takes about 7 hours on foot. Lead Dog has steered you right! Abraham Lincoln. Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Wilderness/Special Area: Pasayten Wilderness Area: Topo Map: Data Source: This peak was submitted to the Peakbagger.com database by Andy Dewey. Its home to an astounding array of wildlife, including the largest population of lynx in the lower 48 as well as deer, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and wolves. One of my favorite spots to day hike (we have cabin about 45 min from trailhead) wildflowers are amazing after the snow melts. Melting snowbanks usually provide water through mid-summer. Hiking season: year-round The best season: July through September The highest temperatures: 70-80F The lowest temperatures: 10-15F Winter average highs are 30-35F, and lows are 10-15F. And best find of all, a large bull moose between Snehumption Gap and the South shoulder of Arnold. Glad we did not camp there as it is not very central for our exploring. Day 2 Up Armstrong mtn to monuments 103 and 104. At six miles you arrive at your destination; sublime Horseshoe Basin. Since Laurel is a restoration guru, she was curious to see how the land was recovering after fire and I was just plain curious to see what the area looked like. Very exciting! We went about half way up Haig and saw a pack of coyotes yipping up a storm. Good news, the PNT trail crew, as of 6/24, had already cleared all of the blow downs up to Clutch Creek. Not deterred by a little tree hopping and route finding, we continued along Middle Hidden Lake and yet again, took a long break to explore more tracks in the dry lake bed. In short time we had a plan B: a 35 mile out and back from the Billy Goat trailhead to Big Hidden Lake. Friday Weather was partly cloudy and cool, in the 50s. I know the campsite you guys took! The basin was snow free 6/29. The best times to visit this trail are June through October. PNTA is a GuideStar gold-level participant, demonstrating our commitment to transparency. NICE fish in the lake though, we met a couple guys who had been fishing and were hooking decent rainbows. Destination ; sublime Horseshoe Basin, be still, watch, and fresh carrots from her pack nearly! 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