From 6/23/23 - 6/24/23 we hiked the White River Trail all the way to the PCT and came back down the Indian Creek trail. The abandoned section of the White River trail is in solid shape until a good campsite on the river ~1 mile past the Boulder Creek intersection. Expect difficult routefinding and extensive crawling under slide alder from there until a quarter mile or so before Thunder Creek.

The trail is in surprisingly good shape from this point until Lightning Creek with good established campsites at both creeks. The trail is very hard to follow from Lightning Creek to the White River crossing near Foam Creek. We picked it up intermittently and otherwise followed bear paths through brush and brush tunnels to the river crossing. After crossing (good campsite on the south side) and some bushwhacking we eventually found the overgrown trail on further downhill than indicated on maps. You'll pass gorgeous falls and the trail will bring you to the second higher crossing shortly above them. There is a good established campsite at a flat open area in mature forest directly uphill of the crossing on the north side of the river. 

The trail from here to the 3rd White River crossing near 4000' is nonexistent except for old blazes on trees. I would recommend staying lower than the trail and following the path of least resistance through more mature forest closer to the river instead. Shortly after this final crossing, the trail becomes well-defined again and stays "easy" to follow to the PCT junction. Don't miss the switchback at 4500'.

Indian Creek was brushy with many blowdowns but was otherwise in good condition for its entire length. There is a lot of fresh avalanche damage in the uppermost section of the trail but it remains easy to follow.

(This is a trip report for casual hikers — if you are planning to circumnavigate Glacier Peak and want to know about the upper reaches of Indian Creek, this report won’t be of great use!). The road to the trailhead is the usual bumpy experience; watch for potholes and you should be fine in any reasonable car. This was our first excursion up to Indian Creek after fire closures last year and we were pleased to see that the first 2.5 miles of trail to Indian Creek are in good shape, with brush here and there and about 16 downed logs that are easy to get over. First stream crossing at 0.5 miles is marginal for hikers with marginal balance skills.  The crossing there is on log debris thrown in place by hikers.  Later in the year when the water is lower it should be an easy rock-hopping crossing.  Other streams were dry or low flow and boggy spots were mostly dried out.

The replacement bridge over Indian Creek has been mostly finished and is open for hikers. I say mostly finished because the hand railing is inexplicably missing for the final 7 feet or so. The balance challenged and acrophobe may want to take that into account if planning a hike beyond the crossing. 

That is where we turned around.  We did dink around trying to find the beach just downstream of Indian Creek on the White River (it’s lovely, with great views and hand samples of every bit of geology that is upstream), but we missed it the first time and decided we had had enough bushwhacking and canceled our second attempt. 

All in all a great walk in the forest with seasonally appropriate wildflowers. And yes, the mosquitoes were annoying at times, but a little breeze and a little DEET removed the annoyance. 

I hiked the full length of Indian Creek downhill from the PCT to White River Trailhead on Sept 13 and 14, 2022, as part of a circumnavigation of Glacier Peak.  It was passable throughout and I never got off track.  I wouldn't choose to do this trail except as a necessary passage from point A to point B, but it got me where I needed to go, which was all I was really looking for.

The uppermost mile or so, below the PCT/Indian Pass junction, passes mostly through forest and open meadow and is in generally good shape and easily followed.  About a half-mile down, there is an old campsite on trail left (going down) without immediate access to water, where I camped.  It is reasonably sheltered with a decent but small flat spot delineated by logs--I couldn't quite get all four corners of my small two-person tent to sit flat inside.

About another half-mile down, two small clear creeks cross the trail.  Supposedly there is another good campsite just before these on trail right, but I did not see it.  I also did not see what should be a well-worn boot path up to Airplane Lake much later on.  I expect I missed these features because I was focused on the trail, but maybe they are disappearing into the brush.  These two small creeks were the last good water directly on the trail.  For most of its length, Indian Creek itself is out of sight and inaccessible.  There are 2-3 spots where the creek comes into sight and could be easily accessed for water.  

After the fairly quick descent of the top mile, the trail transitions into the broad, gentle Indian Creek valley.  This is where the severe brush begins.  Most of the problem comes from annual plants which I assume never get any bigger than they are now.  But some of the encroachment is from huckleberries and similar shrubs, which presumably get a bit bigger ever year, and from evergreen saplings, which will also become an increasing obstacle.  At one point about two miles in, the trail passes through an extended thicket of shoulder-high small trees.  It's possible to push through these now, but in probably two years this will be impassable if not addressed.

The biggest problem with the brush is that you cannot see your feet or the trail surface.  Although the tread is mostly smooth, there are of course roots and rocky sections, occasional vertical burrows in the middle of the trail that would be ankle-breakers if you hit one wrong, and spots where the trail abruptly drops down a couple of feet into some small waterway.  Proceed with caution.  There is also a very slippery section of old boardwalk over a marshy bit.  My feet went out from under me in what would have been a painful fall on my backside if I had not ben cushioned by my pack.  

All is not bad, however.  The view down the valley is beautiful, and none of the brushy sections go on forever.  Overgrown meadows alternate with forested sections where the trail is in good condition.  There are a couple of good campsites in the forested parts at intervals down the trail.  Blowdown is present but fairly minimal, especially for a trail with so little maintenance.  About two-thirds of the way down, there are more signs of recent trail work and the conditions improve somewhat.  

Above the White River, the gentle valley ends and the river drops fairly quickly from 3000 ft down to 2400.  The trail descends nearby through a series of switchbacks.  This section, and the two miles along the White River to the White River trailhead, are in great shape and give no sign of the challenges of the upper valley trail.  The bridges over Indian Creek and White River are great.  I was continuing on to Boulder Pass, so I looked for opportunities to cross the White River without going all the way down to the bridge.  The water was low and a crossing would probably be possible somewhere, but I didn't see anything obvious.  Even if you found a place to cross, you would have a difficult fight through the thick brush along the banks.  

Bugs were minimal.  Birds and small mammals abound.  There is a lot of bear scat on the trail, generally deposited right in the middle of the tread, but I didn't see anything larger than a squirrel.  However, you could pass very close to any number of animals and never see them here.  I would never have known that the Wenatchee fire was only a couple of ridges and a valley away, aside from a little bit of haze.  There was a slight smell of smoke once I rounded the corner into the White River valley.  

Overall, the trail was not as bad as some descriptions had caused me to expect.  Nonetheless, I would expect that the upper section will become unusable to casual hikers within about two years if it doesn't get some attention.  Kudos to the WTA teams who have worked on the lower trail in recent years.  

I completed a Glacier Peak circumnavigation September 9-15, 2022.  I originally planned to do this loop much as described on this WTA page, clockwise from the White River Trailhead and returning over the High Pass and Boulder Pass.  The fire closure of the White River Trailhead forced me to revise my plans, however.  I ended up going counterclockwise from the Little Giant Trailhead, up the Chiwawa River Road and Buck Creek, and returning through the Napeequa Valley and over Little Giant Pass.  I was sorry to miss High Pass and the upper Napeequa Valley, but couldn't figure out how to fit those in without adding more mileage or back-tracking.  This resulted in a longer total loop, about 113 miles and 24,500 feet of gain (and the same of loss, off course) by my tracker.

Day One

I began by parking at the Little Giant Trailhead and walking north on the Chiwawa River Road for 3.5-4.0 miles to the Trinity Trailhead, where I started up the Buck Creek/Chiwawa River Trail.  About two miles up, the Buck Creek Trail splits off to the left, with a good campsite at the junction.  After another mile or so, the trail crosses the Chiwawa River, where the bridge is out.  There is a log crossing about 50 feet upstream, or you can shimmy down the remaining beam from the bridge, or rock-hop/wade downstream at the stock crossing.  I opted for the upstream log, with could have been wider and more stable but was passable.

The trail then ascends over several increasingly steep miles to Buck Creek Pass, but the trail is well-designed with switchbacks and never overly burdensome.  There are a few brushy crossings of avalanche tracks and occasional blowdown, but generally the trail is excellent.  

The smoke and haze that were present in the lowlands disappeared above about 5000 feet.  The pass area is beautiful, even with slightly hazy views.  Marmots and ptarmigan abound near the pass.  I did not hike down to the campsites at the pass, which are below the trail, but they look lovely.  I later had another hiker tell me that they had heard from someone else that the water source at the pass was no longer reliable, but I can't say yes or no.  I did encounter several other parties coming downhill who were completing the Spider Gap loop.

After the pass, I continued downhill for another mile or so, and 1000 feet, to Small Creek (its actual name, apparently, not just a description) where I camped for the night.  There is room for several tents here, and the camp is sheltered with immediate access to good water.  

Around 7:00 pm, as it was getting dark, a trail runner passed through carrying a light daypack/hydration pack.  He did not stop to talk.  I assume he was doing a one-day circuit of the Spider Gap loop and heading back to the Trinity Trailhead in the dark, 15 miles away, more power to him.

Day Two

My second day began with a 1000 foot climb from Small Creek to Middle Ridge.  There is a large but dry campsite at the trail crossing of Middle Ridge, where I found a group of three who were on the Spider Gap Loop.  The trail then drops 1500 feet across avalanche chutes and along a creek before intersecting with the PCT.  A bear was foraging high above the trail in the largest of the avalanche paths.  The trail throughout this section is in good condition.

I continued to pass Spider Gap Loop hikers until switching to the northbound PCT, where I began to be passed by northbound thru-hikers zipping along as if we weren't on any kind of upgrade, and carrying stripped-down packs.  I thought I had a pretty good ultralight kit, but I clearly have more to learn.  The PCT actually had more blowdown than the Buck Creek Pass trails, including a tangle of trees from a substantial avalanche that has not yet been cleared, resulting in an awkward work-around.

After 1000 feet of gain, I left the PCT to head west on the Miner's Ridge Trail, which follows a contour along Miner's Ridge until climbing another 500 feet on good switchbacks to reach the level of Image Lake.  The trail gives occasional glimpses of Glacier Peak to the south and proceeds across high, open meadows before reaching the lake.

The Image Lake basin is beautiful but not exceptional.  I did not take the high loop around the northern side of the lake, from which a terrific photo of Glacier Peak in the background and Image Lake in the foreground is supposed to be possible.  Glacier Peak would not have been clear in the haze, and I could see a bear foraging high on the far side of the lake near where the trail would have passed.  I still enjoyed a half-hour break at the lakeshore, before continuing along the ridge to the fire lookout.

The ridgetop affords wonderful views to both the south (Glacier Peak) and north (North Cascades and Mt. Baker).  The fire lookout was closed but still worth the short walk to its base.

At this point, I had a choice: return to Image Lake and camp for a very short day, or dive downhill 5-6 miles to the Siuattle River to camp.  I opted to continue.  There is one, dry campsite about half way down on the Miner's Ridge Trail if you need to break up the ascent or descent, at the junction with the Miner's Cabin Trail.  I kept going and camped at a well-established area on the PCT just southbound from its junction with the Miner's Ridge Trail, and about 100 yards from good water.  By the time it was dark, 10-12 thru-hikers were camped here, also, and every spot that was flat and large enough to hold a tent was taken.  

Day Three

From the camp, I followed the PCT downstream along the Siuattle River about two miles to the bridge, and then upstream along the other side about the same amount to Vista Creek.  The trail downstream to the bridge was in good condition.  Across the bridge, the trail goes through wonderful old-growth forest with enormous cedars, but also a lot of blowdown.  The blowdown continues as the trail proceeds up Vista Creek and begins to climb up Vista Ridge.  There are good campsites at the Siuattle River crossing, and 3-4 miles up along Vista Creek before the trail heads up the ridge.  

The trail then ascends the ridge out of the Vista Creek valley, with continuing blowdown. As it gets higher, the blowdown fades and the trail enters brushy meadows full of flies, bees and other bugs.  The trail also becomes quite narrow and brushy.  As will be the case at many points going forward, the trail has often become a watercourse and so has wound up being a 1-2 feet deep trench.  This is okay when dry, but forces your steps into a narrow path with your feet bent inward at every step.  Once you leave Vista Creek, there is little or no available trailside water.

After cresting the ridge, the trail winds around into the basin that contains the headwaters of the East Fork Milk Creek.  In the center of the basin, a use trail leads down to 2-3 campsites about 100 feet below the trail, and next to a clear stream.  Further along, near the northwestern exit from the basin, another good campsite is adjacent to the trail.  I camped at the campsites in the center of the basin below the trail, along with two men headed northbound who were section hiking from Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass.

Day Four

It rained overnight, so I had to pack up a wet tent.  I pinned the clothes and socks I had rinsed the night before to the outside of my pack, but they would not actually dry out for another two days.  From the basin where I camped, the trail winds around and then heads steeply downhill to the main course of Milk Creek.  This descent may have been the worst on the loop.  It switchbacks down through 2000 feet, much of which crosses and recrosses the same avalanche path with wet brush, and a trail tread that is either rocky or loose earth sliding down the mountain.  

Once down, the path crosses Milk Creek on a good bridge and then begins the long climb to Fire Pass.  This trail is in generally good condition with appropriate switchbacks.  It's a long climb, but not overwhelming.  About 1/3 of the way up, the trail crosses a clear creek with good water.  Blowdown is noticeable but not excessive.  As you climb higher, there is a good campsite a few hundred feet below Mica Lake.  Mica Lake itself is one of the most extraordinary things I have ever see: a reflecting pool so perfect that I was confused and bewildered at first as to where water ended and land began.

From Mica Lake, the trail climbs steeply for another 800 feet to go over Fire Pass, and then descends on good switchbacks to good water access at Fire Creek.  Another couple of up-and-down miles pass through the upper Pumice Creek and Glacier Creek basins.  I grabbed a campsite near the trail crossing of Glacier Creek.  

Day Five

Fog day.  Clouds were low throughout the day.  The day started with a 2-3 mile descent to the crossing of Kennedy Creek.  This barren, brutal creek valley has no bridge.  At present, there is a log that is either slightly underwater or slightly above water, depending on the flow, that seems to be the best crossing.  After considering other options, I used the log, which was over-topped by about 4 inches of water at the time.  I made it across, and was glad of my waterproof shoes and treking poles.  

The trail then winds through a couple of miles of lowlands, crossing Sitkum Creek and generally following the White Chuck River before crossing the White Chuck and heading uphill to Red Pass.  There are a variety of campsites in this lowland section.  The uphill climb is on good trail with a reasonable grade and switchbacks.  By 5000 feet I was in dense fog with no more than 100 yard visibility, which continued over the pass and down the other side.  There appears to be a good camping area about 1 mile short of the pass.  At the pass, which should have afforded some of the best views on this loop, I could see nothing, except one marmot about 10 feet off the trail who sat and watched me pass.  

By this point, PCT thru-hikers had disappeared.  A wildfire had closed Stevens Pass a few days before, and I think I had passed everyone who got through the pass before the closure.  The next wave would have to find a workaround.  Sadly, the thru-hikers I did encounter already knew that the last 50 miles before the Canadian border were closed due to fire and that they were likely to have to stop short of the end of the trail.

From Red Pass to White Pass, I made my best time of the entire loop.  This is a long, moderate downhill section on very good trail.  Plus, with the fog, no views distracted from my progress.  I passed two 73-year-old women who were hiking the section.  At Reflection Pond, a very organized group with pavilion-style tents had set up across the pond.  Around the corner I encountered two young women collecting huckleberries, who explained that they were part of a Western Washington University first-year orientation outdoors trip.  Ripe huckleberries were a near-constant feature of the hike, whether from stunted, 6-inch high plants at 6000 feet or lush bushes in the river valleys.

My good pace allowed my to reach the Indian Creek junction and head about 1/2 mile down the Indian Creek trail before camping for the night at a good campsite on trail left.  It's another 1/2 miles down the trail to good water.  Note that no water crosses the PCT from Red Pass down to Indian Pass.  There is pond water at Reflection Pond and an unnamed pond on the east side of the trail in the same area.  

Days 6-7

I have done separate trip reports for Indian Creek Trail, Boulder Pass Trail, and Little Giant Trail, so please see those for additional details.  

Indian Creek Trail remains passable, which is the most important thing.  As documented elsewhere, the upper section is brushy and poorly maintained.  But, I never lost the trail.  For long sections, you cannot see the trail surface or your feet, which is hazardous when there are roots, rocks, animal burrows, or abrupt drops into small watercourses.  Two small streams cross the trail about a mile down from the PCT junction.  Beyond that, easy water is limited to 2-3 spots where the trails comes close enough to Indian Creek to allow access.

About 2/3 of the way down, the trail is in better shape, with signs of maintenance and greater use.  A mile or so above the White River junction, Indian Creek drops sharply down to the White River through about 600 feet.  The trail works its way down through a set of switchbacks that are in good condition before crossing Indian Creek on a solid bridge.  Two miles of easy walking brings you to the White River bridge and trailhead.  The trailhead is currently closed due to the Wenatchee fire, not because the fire is nearby but because the trailhead is at the end of one of the primary access roads to the fire area.  I could smell smoke in the White River valley, but would never have known that a major fire was nearby from Indian Creek.  Aside from a little bit of extra haze, there was no sign of fire from the upper valley.

Once across the White River bridge, the White River trail heads back upstream for about four miles to a junction with the Boulder Pass Trail.  The Boulder Pass Trail then ascends quickly through a series of switchbacks (gaining about 1100 feet) before contouring into the lower Boulder Creek basin.  There is a good campsite here, where I stopped for the night.  Covering the first third of the Boulder Pass ascent was a great idea rather than leaving it for the next day.  This is a dry campsite.  The trail doesn't cross Boulder Creek for another .4 miles.  The creek is visible below the campsite but only reachable by a difficult scramble that probably wouldn't be consistent with "Leave No Trace" principles.

From the camp, the trail continues to ascend steadily on an often brushy course until reaching the upper basin.  The brushy sections have a lot in common with Indian Creek: you can't see the trail or your feet, resulting in hazardous rocks, roots and grade changes.  Once in the upper basin, however, with several good campsites, the trail returns to well-designed switchbacks that take you the rest of the way over the pass.

From the pass between Boulder Creek and the Napeequa Valley, the trail descends sharply downhill and sheds about 2000 feet in roughly 3 miles.  The trail is fair, however, with some brushy spots and limited blowdown.  At the bottom, the Napeequa River bars the way forward.  By this time of year, it is low with a gentle current.  The ford came up to my hips, about three feet deep, but wasn't worrisome.

Once across the ford and after a brief scramble uphill to the junction, you meet the Napeequa Valley/Little Giant Trail.  I followed the Little Giant trail down-valley about 1.5 miles.  It was generally easy to follow, though I was uncertain at some points through the river-side meadows.  You don't need the trail through the meadows--just go downstream.  You do need the trail through the riverside thickets of alder and other brush: look for an opening into the brush and head for it, and you'll probably be in the right place.  Some of the brushy parts also include swampy traverses, and some of these are ankle-deep or more.  Be careful not to have a shoe sucked off into the muck.

After about 1.5 miles, the Little Giant Trail begins to climb out of the valley.  It is as bad as described in other trip reports or trail descriptions: a steep, unplanned, overgrown, eroding boot path that gains 2000 feet in less than 2 miles.  But, it is passable.  I made it up in about two hours, with a pack that was still heavier than I would have liked (as always, I overpacked food).  The views up the Napeequa Valley make the labor worthwhile.  

Once at Little Giant Pass, the path improves, and is clearly recognizable as an official, maintained trail.  It's still very steep all the way back to Little Giant Trailhead, losing about 4000 feet in 4.5 miles.  Some of that is on good switchbacks, and some is just plunging down the side of the mountain.  There are good campsites about a mile down from the pass, with water nearby, a couple of more in the middle, and multiple sites at the bottom near the Chiwawa River.

The last obstacle is a ford of the Chiwawa River.  With my car so nearby--about 50 yards beyond the river--I simple strode right through, knowing I had dry shoes in the car.  The water was less than knee-deep, but I could feel the pressure of the current.  Gratefully, I found my car undisturbed, although now surrounded by other vehicles.  I had left it with only one other car at the trailhead a week earlier.  I suspect some hunting season started in the interim.  Despite the cars, I had not seen anyone since leaving the PCT, except for one hunter in the Napeequa Valley who waved to me in the distance as I started to climb.  

Overall, I recommend this loop, especially as an alternative to the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier if you can't get a permit.  It is nearly identical in mileage and elevation change.  Weather and smoke limited my views, but it was still pretty spectacular.  Happy hiking!