Mountaineering · YDS Class 3-4

South Route

Distance RT
11.8 mi
Gain
5,138 ft
High Point
8,970 ft
Trailhead
Rainy Pass Trailhead (Heather-Maple Pass Picnic Site)
4,859 ft elevation
Permit Required

A Northwest Forest Pass or other valid recreation pass is required for trailhead parking. The peak sits on the North Cascades National Park boundary; overnight camping at Wing or Lewis Lakes is generally within the National Forest and covered by a self-issue wilderness permit, but confirm current jurisdiction and permit requirements before an overnight trip, since this can vary by exact camp location.

Route Description

The easiest and most popular route on a striking, dark-rock summit near Washington Pass, reached via the popular Maple Pass/Heather Pass trail network and a high camp at Wing Lake.

Approach

Drive to the Rainy Pass Trailhead (Heather-Maple Pass Picnic Site) on Highway 20. Follow the Lake Ann/Heather Pass trail about 1.5 miles to a junction, continue toward Heather Pass, and just below the pass take an unsigned right turn up into meadows, over the pass, and down the far side to a boulder field. Follow cairns toward Lewis Lake (a trail appears intermittently), pick up a clearer trail before the lake, and continue around it (either the longer trail on the north side or a rougher rock-hop along the south shore) to Wing Lake, a popular high-camp spot directly below Black Peak with views of the summit. From Wing Lake, head up the moraine and onto a permanent snowfield to an obvious col in the south ridge; when not snow-covered, the last 200 feet to the ridge is loose scree and dirt with poor footing. From the col, a climbers' trail leads up the south ridge; any of several Class 3 lines lead to the summit block, with easy Class 4 moves reported near the very top.

Descent

Descend the same south ridge and col back to Wing Lake; this is described as the most common and straightforward descent line on the mountain.

Weather Forecast
⚠️
Air Quality: Moderate · AQI 58
PM2.5: 9.6 μg/m³ · Check conditions before travel
5-Day Air Quality Forecast
Today
101
Unhealthy
Tomorrow
43
Good
Sun, Sep 27
73
Moderate
Mon, Sep 28
82
Moderate
Tue, Sep 29
74
Moderate
PM2.5 wildfire smoke threshold: 35 μg/m³ · Source: CAMS via Open-Meteo
7-Day Forecast
Today
❄️
Snow
33° / 19°
92%
❄ 5.7"
💨19
Tomorrow
🌫️
Fog
28° / 17°
35%
💨16
Sun, Sep 27
☁️
Overcast
38° / 20°
💨8
Mon, Sep 28
☁️
Overcast
39° / 18°
11%
💨6
Tue, Sep 29
🌨️
Rain
29° / 24°
54%
💧0.48"
💨6
Wed, Sep 30
🌧️
Drizzle
32° / 16°
38%
💧0.01"
💨6
Thu, Oct 1
☁️
Overcast
28° / 15°
38%
💨7
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