Mountaineering · YDS 5.4

West Ridge

Gain
7,602 ft
High Point
8,629 ft
Trailhead
Esmeralda Trailhead (Lake Ingalls Trailhead)
4,268 ft elevation
Permit Required

A free, self-issuing wilderness permit is required at the trailhead for entry into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. A Northwest Forest Pass or other valid recreation pass is also required for trailhead parking.

Route Description

A technical rock climb on a peak best known for the large balanced rock perched along its summit ridge, using the same Longs Pass approach as Mount Stuart's Cascadian Couloir.

Approach

Drive to the Esmeralda Trailhead at the end of the Teanaway River Road. Climb the Longs Pass Trail to Longs Pass (about 6,200 feet, 2,100 feet of gain), then descend roughly 1,300-1,400 feet to Ingalls Creek. Cross the creek to the Ingalls Creek Trail and follow it downstream (east) about a mile to the Beverly-Turnpike Trail junction. Leave the trail and ascend a meadow, then bear right (east) across a buttress and into blocky, partly forested terrain, continuing up into a basin below the peak's west side. From the basin, climb the West Ridge: six pitches of rock climbing that start around Class 3 and include a crux move rated 5.4, gaining the final several hundred feet to the exposed summit ridge near the peak's famous balanced rock.

Descent

Downclimb and rappel the West Ridge back to the basin, then reverse the approach over Longs Pass. This route involves real elevation loss and regain on both the way in (down to Ingalls Creek) and the way out (back up to Longs Pass), which adds meaningfully to an already long day.

Weather Forecast
7-Day Forecast
Today
☁️
Overcast
43° / 30°
6%
💨13
Tomorrow
❄️
Snow
36° / 21°
91%
2.4"
💨22
Sat, Sep 26
🌧️
Drizzle
36° / 15°
37%
💧0.02"
💨6
Sun, Sep 27
☁️
Overcast
40° / 21°
💨6
Mon, Sep 28
❄️
Snow
29° / 18°
5%
0.1"
💨6
Tue, Sep 29
🌨️
Rain
30° / 24°
33%
💧0.54"
💨8
Wed, Sep 30
☁️
Overcast
32° / 17°
23%
💨8
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