Slacker Weekday Hiking Series: Heather - Maple Pass Loop!

TAKE CAREFUL NOTE: The first and most important thing I need to tell you about this hike is that it is moderate to hard. If you are new to hiking, or are uncertain about your conditioning, then this is probably not the event for you right now. The route is 7.2 to 7.6 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of 2,200 feet to a maximum elevation of 6,650 feet (source: Washington Trails Association, WTA).

Another important thing to note is that the commute to the trail head is not a small investment in time. It takes nearly three hours to arrive at the trail head from the Ash Way P&R, which makes it a total of 6 hours round trip.

Why should you subject yourself to such a long drive? The hike itself! This loop trail is one of my favorites in Washington State. A WTA excerpt says this about Heather-Maple Pass:

"If ever there was a hike to satisfy all a hiker's desires, this one comes as close as any. A loop hike with many fabulous changing faces throughout the seasons, Heather-Maple Pass features ridgelines blanketed in wildflowers in summer, lakes ringed with golden larches in fall, and before the highway closes for the season, a dramatic place to experience early winter’s snows..."

There is one, big reason I want to do the hike here in the high summer: daylight. The long summer days buy us the time to get there, and complete the day with no darkness on either end. I want to meet at 6:00 AM because there is a chance - even though it is a weekday - that the trail head parking will fill up. If that happens, parking is still workable along the highway leading to the trail, or at another trail on the other side of the highway. But we will have to walk farther.

I am ballparking our start time on the trail before 10:00 AM. Normally the hike takes about six hours, and throw in another hour for our lunch at a scenic spot. So with that calculus we will finish before 5:00 PM, and three hours drive back is 8:00 PM. But some or all of our cars can stop for a meal along the way for about an hour. Let this be our projected timeline:

6:00 AM: Assemble at Ash Way P&R
6:15 AM: Depart in carpools
9:15 AM: Arrive at Rainy Pass (Maple Pass) Trailhead
9:30 AM: Start hiking
12:30 PM: Lunch at a scenic spot
1:30 PM: Finish lunch by this hour
4:30 PM: Complete hike (*)
5:30 PM: Optional ice cream or dinner stop (*)
6:30 PM: Resume driving (*)
8:30 PM: Return to Ash Way P&R (*)

The timing of (*) items are highly speculative. I have added a half hour onto the event duration. Don't plan anything else until late into your evening!

A couple of other notes:

1. A Northwest Forest Pass or Interagency Pass is required for parking

2. Plan on bringing a quite a bit of water for hydration

3. The trail can be potentially treacherous in places due to residual snow patches; recommend bringing poles and/or traction devices (e.g., microspikes)

4. Recent trail reports indicate bugs; I recommend bug repellent

5. Riders: count on compensating your driver about $20 for their efforts; drivers: count on receiving about $20 for each rider

6. Dogs are allowed on the trail, but definitely not recommended! If you bring Fido you may have to forgo other ridesharing

If you wish to skip ridesharing, here are directions to the trailhead: From Seattle, drive Hwy 20 through the town of Marblemount and on towards North Cascades National Park. After approximately 50 miles, the Rainy Pass trailhead will be on the south (right) side of the road. There is room here for 40 cars, as well as a privy. There is also a parking area on the north side of the road here which provides access to other trails.

See full WTA description at: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/maple-pass#hike-full-description