Trip Report: Spider Meadow & Phelps Basin Overnight Backpacking
Date: [Insert Dates]
Location: Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington
Distance: ~13 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: ~2,300 feet
Trail Conditions: [Update based on season]

Day 1: Trailhead to Spider Meadow & Phelps Basin

We started at the Phelps Creek Trailhead in the morning, with the first few miles offering a gentle ascent through lush forest. The trail was in great shape, though some muddy sections and minor blowdowns slowed us down. The final stretch before reaching Spider Meadow (~5.5 miles in) opened up to breathtaking alpine views—lush green meadows, wildflowers (if in season), and towering peaks surrounding us.

After a break in the meadow, we continued another 1.5 miles to Phelps Basin, where the trail became rockier and steeper. The basin itself was stunning—glacial streams, jagged cliffs, and remnants of snow in the higher elevations. We found a solid campsite near the basin, set up for the night, and enjoyed a peaceful sunset with alpenglow on the surrounding peaks.

Day 2: Return Journey

The night was cold but manageable with the right gear. In the morning, we explored Phelps Basin a bit more before packing up. The return hike was mostly downhill, making for a quicker descent. We passed a few groups heading in, and by midday, we were back at the trailhead.

Trip Notes & Recommendations
• Trail Conditions: Expect snow patches early in the season (June–July) and possible creek crossings. Fall trips (September) bring cooler weather and fewer bugs.
• Camping: Several sites at Spider Meadow, but Phelps Basin offers a quieter, more secluded option.
• Gear: Bear canister or proper food storage is required; mosquitos can be intense in summer.
• Water Sources: Plenty along the way—filter necessary.

Overall, this was an incredible overnight backpacking trip with stunning alpine scenery and a relatively moderate effort-to-reward ratio. Highly recommended for anyone looking to experience Glacier Peak Wilderness without an overly strenuous trek!

As part of a bigger group, most of whom were new to backpacking, I hiked from the Phelps Creek TH to Cloudy Pass, and then back out, over a week.  Trail was in excellent condition, water was plentiful, and the scenery was as beautiful as expected.  

NOTE:  This trail (or segments of it) are now CLOSED.  This warning only appears on the Spider Gap-Buck Creek Pass loop entry, not the Spider Meadows entry, and information on the Forest Service website is not specific.  I recommend contacting the rangers office before you head this way.  

Other folks have recently posted some updates, so I'll keep my contributions minimal, mostly from the perspective of hiking with a group and mixed experience levels.  For context, our group had 7 tents, bear cans, and ice axes. 

The trail to Spider Meadows is accessible, easy, and mostly in the shade.  It is excellent for beginners and the meadows had plentiful camping, though I was surprised to see people trying to camp on meadow vegetation and had to ask a group to put out a very sizeable fire (fortunately, they did right away).  Lots of fresh, cold water in the meadow, and excellent views.  Plenty of trees for hanging bear bags.  Wildflowers were in top form. 

We broke our climb up into two parts to make it more accessible, spending our second night at Larch Knob.  This climb was nearly full sun the entire time (only a few short segments of tree cover), and portions of the climb past the Phelps Basin junction, in particular between 5500 and 6000 feet, is quite steep and had some high-exposure areas with washed-out tread and/or vegetation growing heavily over the trail.  While the trail is certainly safe and completely passable, some members experienced discomfort with these sections.  There was one ford at ~5100 feet that required changing shoes, and got shin-deep for most of us.  Larch Knob is beautiful, with plentiful water, but also in FULL sun. The bathroom is quite a hike from camp, so give yourself time!  Few suitable trees to hang bags.  Smoke from the Pioneer Fire was visible, and I could feel it in my lungs overnight. 

On our third day, we climbed Spider Gap.  It might seem obvious to most, but sunglasses should be considered mandatory for this stretch (we saw some folks struggling without).  The snow was in full sun by 9 am, and the reflection is intense.  Snow was soft but stable at this hour, and we made the climb in good time.  Plentiful snow from 6200 feet and up, but it was HOT and it has likely melted our considerably since our visit.  We enjoyed an excellent view for lunch at the top of the gap, and then partially glissaded down where it felt safe.  The climb and descent did take a long time for our big group as this was the first time many had travelled on snow, and it was sunny and hot.  Once past the snow, continuing through the rock field to Upper Lyman was also very hot and in full sun, which was tiring for folks.  Upper Lyman was beautiful but incredibly buggy -- too buggy for most in our group -- so we continued on to Lower Lyman, hoping it would be less intense.  Fortunately, it was.  Our group fit very comfortably in the sites at the northwest corner of the lake, just south of the junction for the Cloudy Pass trail.  The water was pleasant for swimming, the toilets was in excellent shape and accessible, and there were plentiful trees for hanging bags (if needed).  Three members of our group found ticks on them while camped here. 

On Day 4, we were pleasantly surprised by the company of some volunteer forest rangers who shared so much about the area with us.  A group day hiked to Cloudy Pass and beyond -- this was short, fun, with easy gain.  We had originally considered the full loop, but based on trip reports and exiting hikers, it sounded like the trail had challenging conditions (blowdowns, snowpack, high stream crossings) that were beyond the scope or our trip. 

We hiked out the way we came, noticing significant snow melt at Larch Knob just in 48 hours, and navigating the descent back to Spider Meadows very carefully.  Overall, a successful trip and everyone had a great time, even with some challenging moments.  There is very little shade on this trail, so bring LOTS of sun protection.  I can't wait to return to this beautiful place again, and thank you so much to those who continue to steward this area! 

[having a lot of trouble uploading pictures, will try to update at another time!] 

4th of July overnight at Spider meadows. Road starts to get very rough just before the right turn towards the trailhead. The road up to the trailhead is not as bad as I have ever seen but pretty rough. Some washout ditches and large rocks. I would not take a sedan up that road. Subaru outback did fine, we went slow and picked our lines carefully between the ditches and rocks. 

No bathroom at the trailhead. 

The trail is in great shape, a few trees down but can walk around most of them. 

The creeks - there are a lot of them! Some are wide but not deep, got feet wet crossing. I wore short hiking boots and wool socks and my feet would dry out in between creek crossings. My husband were tall waterproof boots and those did not dry out very well once he got water splashed over the top. All of the creek crossings were nice for dog to drink water and get her paws wet to coll off. 

There were 2 sketchy creek crossings. One closer to the beginning - wide creek with water running fast and a few deeper spots. Some rocks to jump between but most of the rocks had water running over the top. 2 poles helped a lot. Dog did not have any trouble in that one. The second one is Learoy creek right before the learoy basin turn off. That one is fast and wide. There is a skinny tree over it. Can be crossed if you have good balance. It was easier to cross on the way there than on the way back. Poles did not help because it is too high over the fast water and the log is too skinny to put poles on the wood. We were nervous about the dog crossing over that one but she did great. She is an agile little thing, a 41 lbs mutt, we put a long lead on her harness, just in case she fell in. If you have a bigger dog,  I would cross in water shoes in the water holding onto the log with one hand and onto your big dog with the other. If I still had my 80lbs girl, I would not let her cross on that skinny little log. 

Meadow is gorgeous! As you first enter the meadow, if you take one of the trails on the left past a campsite or two, that leads to a log jamp crossing to get to the other side of the creek. A bunch of smaller logs, slightly wobbly, a little sketchy. Got feet wet, piles helped a lot. Some nice campsites on that side of the creek. 

Only some snow patches in the meadow. We did not go past spider meadow. 

Bugs weren't bad at all on the trail and were pretty terrible in camp. Mosquitos swarmed around us the whole time. Didn't see too many horse flies at that time. 

The road to the TH is no joke. High clearance and good driving skills recommended. The trail is free of snow except for a tiny patch or two before the meadow. The stream crossings are all at acceptable levels and relatively easy to navigate with poles and waterproof boots. Leroy Creek was the hardest water crossing and required some special maneuvers, but you can do it with determination. Spider Meadow is an awesome place and doesn't feel real when you're walking through it. If you can make the trek, I highly recommend it. The bugs were not too bad and certain wildflowers are blooming. There's no privy at the TH but you can stop at one of the little campgrounds on the way there. Check out my YouTube video for current conditions and the beauty that's in store for you should you attempt this hike. Please leave no trace. Happy Trails!

https://youtu.be/x6W2-PqKXwQ?si=YYgU1gEE_QuOCs_U

Long slow drive to TH but doable. We drove a RAV4. Plenty of parking. Trail is in mostly good shape. Few down trees but easy to navigate. 6-8 sketchy rushing stream crossings. Fast running water from snow melt. But doable. Otherwise, great hike. Beautiful scenery, the meadow is stunning.