Polallie Ridge, Waptus Lake via Waptus River & Waptus Pass — Friday, Jun. 19, 2020

Salmon La Sac TH
Polallie Ridge Trail -> Waptus River Trail
Hiked June 19 2020
Start time: 9am
End time: 11pm
20 total miles

My husband and I took off a week to celebrate our would-have-been wedding/CoronaMoon so we decided to take advantage of a free weekday and push our day hike limits. Wow, what a trail to do it on!! TLDR: Polallie Ridge Trail is still covered in 3-5 feet of snow for at least 75% of the trail (details below). Do not recommend for a few more weeks at least.

Quick overview: our plan was to start our loop by hiking the Polallie Ridge Trail up to Waptus Pass, then picking up the Waptus River Trail after getting to Waptus Lake. It technically should have been an ~18 mile loop, but issues with navigation tacked on two additional miles.

The Polallie Ridge Trail runs between the Waptus River Trail (to the east) and the Cooper River Trail (to the west). The split is now clearly marked and only takes a few minutes from the trailhead, just keep your eyes peeled for trail signs. The Polallie Ridge Trail immediately picks up elevation and is a tough but enjoyable lung burner for the first 2 miles. You then pass a small talus field on your way into denser woods, and that's where the "fun" begins. From 2 miles to essentially the very last segment of the hike, the trail is almost completely covered in several feet of snow. The trail is impossible to follow without a navigation tool and due to the steep nature of the trail there were several portions that were sketchy because of the soft snow and postholing. Microspikes would have been somewhat helpful for the slopes but not much help on the flats/bushwhacking because of the snow condition. I broke both of my (cheap) trekking poles within the first 4 miles. The snow melt followed the trail, making it nerve-racking to follow, since we were constantly postholing over water. At the very end of the hike we noticed trail blazes in the form of a large chunk cut out of a noticeable tree but not sure if this would have helped us navigate. Cairns were non-existent after the 2 mile mark. Diamond Lake was about 90% thawed out, but the areas around it snowy and marshy, so we took a wide bearth. Same for the small pond you pass a few miles later. Thankfully we got a respite from snow at the old lookout and at the ridgeline but it didn't last for long. Even without snow the trail to the top of the old lookout was very hard to follow since there are lots of game trails through the brush. Normally we would have turned back with conditions like this, but we weren't in a rush, the weather was perfect (mid 70s-80s), we had plenty of food, and felt good about navigation, so on we continued. But it definitely took a toll; we averaged about 1 mph during this section of our loop. Despite the challenges, this hike was spectacular--the views were incredible, the solitude immense, and we saw no signs of other hikers other than a few very faded boot tracks. The 360-degree views at the lookout and ridge are unforgettable, and we even got a great look at Mt Rainier.

Luckily the last mile or so of the Polallie Ridge trail is pretty snow free and we got to Waptus Lake around 7:15pm, in time for a quick snack at the lake before continuing on for another 9 miles down the Waptus River Trail. Note if you do this loop, there are not great on-trail lake views; you'll need to either go down to the Quick Creek camps or the east side of the lake for a nice viewpoint/snack spot.

The rest of the loop on the Waptus River Trail was pleasant and unremarkable, none of the river crossings were very challenging, water was never above knee height. Recommend leaving your waterproof hiking boots behind for this one--put some body glide on your feet and wear trail runners, accept your feet will get wet and embrace it. For details on this trail there are plenty of trip reports to read. It was quite busy and there were lots of groups coming in even as night fell. The lot was full on our way out at 11pm.

Birds to listen/look for: wood thrush, varied thrush, northern flicker, gray/Canada jay (a pair followed us!), western tanager, Wilson's warbler