We rented a boat from Ross Lake Resort and did a day hike of Desolation Peak. It took us about 45 minutes on the boat to get to Desolation. We tied it around a stump and then started our hike. It took us 2 hours 45 minutes to summit taking breaks about every mile. The views from the summit are amazing. The lookout was closed. We crossed an incredibly small stream which would not be a good water source and there was a little snow before the summit and at the summit. Basically, make sure to bring plenty of water I brought 4 liters and drank 3.5 liters. We took our time on the way down and it was 2 hours 10 minutes back to the boat. 

Bucket list! Greatest view of the North Cascades I’ve ever seen. My hiking partner and Eco Challenge trekker/competitor Don, he said same thing. If u are a Kerouac fan, bonus! I read the last 75 pages of Dharma Bums in my tent the night before the hike. There were 4 of us, we stayed at Colonial camp site, campfires allowed. Up at 6 am. Drove a cpl miles to Ross Lake trailhead and hiked 1.5 miles down to waterline, called from the phone (you will see a lil wooden kiosk/hut, phone there) for boat captain to meet us. We had made a reservation in advance (recommended) Friendly young driver Michael was there 10 min later, we travelled 35 minutes up, cascade waterfalls along the way, Devils Creek too. We were dropped off and u boulder yourself up 100 yards or so and you’ll find the trailhead and the last toilet you’ll have for awhile. Steep climb! With that being said, our Indian/Portugese friend Ryan did the entire hike in his sandals.

We were at lookout in about 3 hours. Near the top, we met 2 guys coming down. They had spent 2 nights camping at the campground. We felt pretty wimpy w our 10-15 lb backpacks compared to their 60-70 lb rucksacks! They were all smiles though, stating the views were some of the most spectacular u will ever see. We were anxious and giddy to press on. Once u walk thru the quaint and serene campsite, u make your last push for the lookout, only about a mile. There was a 200 yard stretch of snow, but easy enough..

There it is! Once there, awestruck! 360 panoramic view of the Cascades and right in front of us, Hozomeen, Jack Mountain, Baker, all the way to Canada. We had lunch, stood on our heads like Kerouac did every morning, big smiles, and bummed around for an hour or so. Our boat was meeting us at 4:00 and we were told “don’t be late” so we made our way back down. Pleasant, meditative…soul inspired. Highly recommended w good friends! We were a lil early, we sat in the shade under a tree and Bruce and i took a nap. Ryan went swimming in Ross Lake and Don made friends w a deer.

It’s a challenging hike, casual hikers might struggle…thankfully we all kept a similar pace. One of the greatest NW hikes to experience. There are some logistics to consider. One of the reasons it’s less travelled, but that all adds to the journey and sense of accomplishment. Apparently, it’s named Desolation because there was a 2 month long wildfire 100+ years ago, but this peak was untouched, so desolate that the raging Cascade fire never got to it. Hence, Desolation Peak! 

  “ "Desolation, Desolation, I owe so much to Desolation, thank you forever for guiding me to the place where I learned it all. Now comes the sadness of coming back” -Kerouac ”

We took a boat out to Lightning Creek, setup camp and then climb up to Desolation Peak.  Trail was in good condition.  No snow until you get to the saddle pass Desolation camp.  Snow was intermittent and should be gone in a couple of weeks.   We did it with just our hiking shoes, we did bring up our gaiters, but it was not needed.  

There were only two running creeks on the way up, one was a trickle, and the other was running ok. Will probably be dry in the next couple of weeks so maybe pack water.  

Beautiful Views and the weather was perfect.  

We returned back to Lightning Creek and left the following morning.  We ended up doing 34 miles total in two days and around 6500 feet of elevation gain.   Fun hike but tiring!

Hike to Deso Peak on Wed. We parked on hwy 20 and hiked 1 miles to the Ross Lake Resort dock. We spend the night at the Resort and had them take us by boat to the TH. We got dropped off at 8:30 and told them to pick us up at 5, worried that this hike would take us much longer. It was described as very strenuous in various sources. It is uphill, yes, but we were at the top at noon. Just up, up, no exposure or anything treacherous. The lookout was shut down and we saw 0 people. Very cold at the top. Had all layers on. Beautiful views. We had lots of time to spare at the bottom and hiked along the lake. The colors were brilliant. At 5pm the boat came to fetch us and take us back to Ross Resort. 

We took the water taxi from the now open Ross Lake Resort over to the Desolation Peak Trail head. Fabulous boat ride!
The trail is in good condition. It is steep, but less than 5 miles long. So not as difficult as we thought it might be.

Very windy at the top. We saw no other hikers the entire day. The water taxi picked us up at exactly the time we planned.

This hike had been on my bucket list for a long time as it is difficult to access. Very glad to have done it.