The route which my partner and chose for our ascent is different than the usual trail hike from Ross Lake to the lookout. We approached the mountain from the north. Crossing the Canadian border at Sumas we drove on Route 1 until the town of Hope. There we took the Silver Creek/Skagit road 55 km south to the trailhead for Hozomeen Lake in the Ross Lake Recreation Area. We were on the well-maintained trail three miles and then took the right fork which brought us to Willow Lake after two more miles of hiking. Then at the outflow for the lake we went off-trail due south following the line of gravity for 3100 feet of gain until we stopped atop Pt. 5967. The register there had been placed by Fred Darvill Jr. in 1967. Our names were the sixth party to visit the peak in 38 years and the first entry since 1995. Three of the entrants were lookout rangers from Desolation who hiked the 1 mile over to the highpoint. One wrote he wanted a close-in photo of Hozomeen while another mused that the sixty days in the lookout taught her to enjoy quietness. We stayed directly on the ridge going over Pts. 5687 and 5925. We were pleased to find our chosen route to the lookout had bootscarred path down to the basin assuring us of success as we knew it had been formed by rangers exploring the area nearby the summit. The only disappointment to the day was finding it boarded up for the winter. I had called the Sedro Wooley office on Wed and was assured the lookout would be staffed this weekend. Oh well. My friend and I enjoyed the present which I had brought for the ranger. Our line of descent was different than the upclimb. We wanted to avoid some steep mossy rock which might have proven to be trickier on the downclimb. We traversed toward a vague NW ridge that connects Pts. 5967 and 4223. Then we descended toward Hozomeen lake and met the trail without any difficulty. It is a no-brainer as all you have to do is loose elevation and eventually you bump into it. Elevation gain: 5000 feet. Distance travelled; 18 miles. Car-to-car; 10 hrs.

I finally had the opportunity to hike the Desolation Peak trail in the North Cascades National Park complex this past July 4th weekend. We lucked out on the weather as they were calling for clouds and showers but sun and blue skies prevailed. I was with a group of 7 hardy folks out of the Tacoma branch of the Mountaineers (myself being an intruder from the Seattle branch), embarking on a weekend backpack to the north end of Ross lake which included a Sunday hike up to the famed Desolation Peak where Jack K. the beatnik poet contemplated his navel back in the 50s. I can see why he chose this peak as the place was quite a location to view out into the world and the North Cascades in particualar. The hike itself was a nice heart and lung tester as it is a 4,400 ft. gain and is straight up. I like that kind of hike myself and I made it to the top after 4.5 miles of hiking in 2 hours and 23 minutes. While there, I had a good talk with Maria the park ranger and lookout specialist who knew every peak on the horizon in every direction. I'm fairly proud of these two photos I've included being a rookie with my new Canon powershot 85. The mileage up to the north end of Ross lake via Canada was 205 miles one way from Bellevue. Indeed a far piece but a nice trip nevertheless. To be honest and candid, going up to our northern neighboring country makes me glad I live in the U.S. Was that politically incorrect for me to say that? Maybe so, but what the heck.

A group of 10 friends and I spent a 3 day weekend enjoying Ross Lake and the mountains that surround it. What a great place to explore! We rented boats from the Ross Lake Resort and used those boats to access the Desolation Peak Trail from the boat landing on Ross Lake. It's just north of Cat Island and you can look for a wooden sign that says Desolation Peak Trail. The landing area is small but there is quite a few other potential landing areas just south that you can easily bushwack up to the trail from if the landing area is full of boats (which it was during our trip). The trail overall is in good conditions, though there are about 5 small blowdowns in places along the trail. After leaving the lake I saw only one water source, a very small creek about 1/2 way up the mountain. Our group did not encounter any snow on trail whatsoever. The trail gains approximately 4,400 feet and is a hard 4.7 miles to the top. The first few miles are in the trees, though occasional openings give you a preview of the stupendous views from the top. After breaking out from the trees, you switchback up to a false summit. From the false summit, you follow the ridge before a short elevation gain to the high point and lookout tower. During our trip there were some clouds, so Baker and Shuksan were hidden but the rest of the mountains visible were simply awesome. Our group took about 3.25 hours to get to the top (with quite a few breaks, including lunch), but if you are in good shape the summit could be attained in 2 - 2.5 hours. So if you're looking for 360 degree views of wilderness, this hike is very difficult to beat!

I went with a friend half way up this trail - cloudy weather made views not-so-hot, so we came down after lunch at a spot with a nice view. For those who want to hike the trail by lake access, note that there is no landing at the trailhead like the ones at many campgrounds along the lake, just a small semi-sheltered area where you can tie up to some logs. We found the trailhead by seeing a sign for it that faces the water. A topo map helped get us in the vicinity to look for it. The trail itself is steep but in excellent condition. If you have a boat, be sure to float up some of the tributary inlets to the lake in this area - Lightning Cr, Devil's Cr, and places with waterfalls near the lake. Beautiful grottos to hang out and avoid winds/waves on lake.

three day canoe/kayak and hiking trip. What a great place!! Desolation Peak trail was in awesome shape. It was dry and all the flowers were in full bloom - a lot of tiger lilies, variety of asters, penstemon, and paintbrushes. The views of Jack Mountain, the Picket Range and Skagit Peak were awesome. the skies were so blue with fluffy clouds moving in and out. The water was a little choppy but on the day out it was smooth as glass and made for easy going in the canoes. Ran into two other guys headed up when we were coming down. No snow on the trail and only one very small drainage area still running with water but I doubt that will last long. Great trip and well worth the time to get there - wish I could have stayed longer.