Snowfield Peak, Neve Glacie

Activity Notes

General Information:

Snowfield Peak (8347 Feet)  is an outstanding summit in the North Cascades about 5 miles ESE of Newhalem as the crow flies.  Snowfield Peak's most distinctive feature is its broad Neve Glacier on the north and northwest flanks. This is one of the larger non-volcano-related glaciers in the Washington Cascades and measures roughly 750 acres in size. Snowfield Peak is just one of the rocky summits (the highest) flanking this impressive sheet of ice that actually feeds two glacier lobes (one draining east to Thunder Creek, the other west down Ladder Creek to the Skagit River). The views from Snowfield’s lofty summit are great, encompassing 360 degrees of North Cascades, notably a breathtaking look southeast across McAllister Creek toward Eldorado, high and close, and even the remote, seldom-visited Austera Towers.

The technical climbing is quite straight forward and almost anticlimactic to the approach to the campsite, which involves considerable elevation gain on a climbers trail that is steep, direct, and relentless (no water!). We will camp high in an alpine area reminiscent of the Himalayas.This is a classic North Cascades approach, but the end is worth the effort.

We will take 3 days to go this climb. Hike in Saturday, Climb Sunday, Hike out and drive home Monday. As the Drive is about 300 miles and takes 6 hours, you need to leave Friday evening and camp the night before the climb. We will try to carpool.