Trip Overview
Dates: September 1-2, 2018
Miles: 12 miles RT
Trailhead Elevation: 3,660’
Cascade Pass Elevation: 5,400’
Peak Elevation: 7,600’
Elevation Gain: 4,000’
Permit: Backcountry permit required for overnight camping in North Cascades National Park; permits are first-come, first-served and can be picked up at the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount. Details can be found on the NPS website.
Trailhead: Cascade Pass Trailhead
Parking: Free at trailhead
Dogs: Not allowed
Getting There
Drive Highway 20 to the little town of Marblemount. Keep going straight when 20 turns left and you will be on Cascade River Road. Drive the 23 miles to the end. You will follow the Cascade River the whole way; it takes nearly an hour on Cascade River Road.
Trip Details
Sahale Glacier is easily one the most spectacular backpacking destinations we’ve been to. Our buddy Kristian took us here in the summer of 2018 on one of Jenna and I’s annual visits to the PNW. We didn’t really have a plan when we arrived in Seattle, but we knew we wanted to hike and camp out in the North Cascades. Kristian had day hiked at Sahale before, and it was one of his favorite places so we decided to make it a backpacking trip.
We headed out towards Marblemount, WA late in the morning and then east toward the Cascade Pass Trailhead. The parking lot was pretty crowded, but that may have been due to us leaving Seattle a little later than expected and it was the Saturday before Labor Day Weekend. You can already see amazing views of some of the North Cascade Peaks from the trailhead.
From the trailhead we made our way to Cascade Pass which consists of about 3.7 miles of steady incline and some switchbacks. We grabbed some snacks and water, then followed the signs toward Sahale Arm. The trail starts to get pretty steep with some significant elevation gain for the remainder of the hike. This is where we saw some mountain goats grazing and one was even on the trail itself! We were lucky to be able to sneak past without provoking it. The path is pretty well defined until we reached a large boulder field. We followed some cairns and continued to climb until we reached the edge of the glacier where there should be a small wooden signage post that says, “Sahale Glacier.”
There were several designated campsites with windshields made from stacked rocks. It was a pretty windy and cloudy evening as we ate some hot food and drank some beers before bed. We were kind of bummed about the visibility, but then morning came around, the sky cleared up, and the views from our campsite were unbelievable. We were definitely glad we stuck it out that night and got to enjoy this true gem of the North Cascades.
Sahale Glacier Camp
Sahale Glacier
Need to Know
- Check for road closures!
- Check the Trail Conditions page before hiking
- Overnight camping at trailheads in the park is prohibited
- No camping at Cascade Pass
When to Go
The best time to hike to Sahale Glacier is August to October.
What to Pack for a Backpacking Trip
- Hydration: We usually start with 2-3 liters of water, each, and pack a water filter and some iodine tablets. If you’re hiking where there’s snowpack, you can melt snow for drinking water. Electrolyte packets are also very useful for hydration on the trail.
- Nutrition: We usually eat a bar or oatmeal and a piece of fruit before starting off on our backpacking trips. For this trip, we started later in the day so we had already eaten lunch. Then for snacks along the way, more bars, jerky, or trail mix. For dinners, we either eat dehydrated foods or even leftovers from a meal we ate on the road trip out to the hike (cold pizza makes a great dinner!).
- Shelter: We use our Marmot Tungsten 2-Person Tent (3 season, 4 lbs, 13 oz).
- Stove: We love our Jetboil to boil water for drinking and to heat up our dehydrated dinners, oatmeals, coffee, etc.
- Navigation: For hikes with more difficult trails to follow, you may want to invest in a GPS tracker. For simpler hikes, we use the GPS system on our phones and a tracker such as Gaia GPS or AllTrails.
- Headlamp: Headlamps and our inflatable solar latern by MPOWERD.
- Sun protection: Sunscreen, sunglasses, and sun-protective clothes – always a must!
- First aid: Our first aid kit consists of band-aids, gauze, medical tape, Compede Bandages (love this more than Moleskin for blisters), antibiotic ointment, alcohol wipes, ibuprofen, tweezers, pocket knife.
Leave No Trace
Always remember to practice the principles of Leave No Trace! These 7 principles include:
- Plan Ahead & Prepare
- Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Others
Check out the Leave No Trace program for more information.
