This was the most grueling hike that I've ever done. It is however a very remote and beautiful place.
First off you have to travel on the Middle Fork Rd 7 miles beyond the Dingford gate just to get to the trailhead to Hardscrabble Lakes. I would definitely recommend a bicycle or better yet an Ebike. The hiking part took 9.5 hours with breaks so you will have to either get an absurdly early start or do a 1-2 night backpack.
The trail is rough the entire way. It starts out for the first mile or so on a steep, eroded, abandoned mining/logging road built in the 1950's. There is a large rock field that can be tricky to navigate. A GPS is highly useful. Lower Hardscrabble lake at 1.6 miles and 1400 ft gain is very scenic. It is surrounded by huge granite cliffs on 2 side. You have to traverse a big tedious boulder field on the west side of the lake to reach its inlet on the north end. Nice camp sites near the north end of the lake.
The trail that connects Lower and Upper Hardscrabble is sometime hard to find. It is very steep in places and also traverses a couple boulder fields. The upper lake is 700 feet higher than the lower lake but oddly it is looks like a lower elevation lake since it is surrounded by trees instead of cliffs and boulders. Lots of 4-6 inch fish jumping out of the water near the outlet.
The next section is a brushy bushwack to get to the boulder gully that will take you up to the pass. Views of the Cascade Range (Lemah, Chimney, etc) start opening up as you ascend. At the pass you get a great view of the best part of the hike which is the ascent up the gently inclined granite slabs. There are a few easy snow field here to cross. Views to Gold Lake and some beautiful bright blue tarns to the north. At the peak, the view is nothing but wilderness lakes and peaks in every direction. It is a really expansive and beautiful place.
RT from the Hardscrabble Trailhead, 9.8 miles, 4100 ft and very rugged.
Comments
Muledeer on Big Snow Mountain
What a beautiful area and pics! I'm glad it's that hard to get to, so it won't get trashed like so many other spots have been.
Posted by:
Muledeer on Aug 28, 2020 09:26 AM
Agreed, stunning and hard which makes this a gem worthy of protecting!
Fortunately it's not an officially maintained trail which keeps most hikers away, like those who need "ebikes" to access the start (I am vehemently opposed to all non-human powered adventure in the mountains). Wilderness will only stay wild if the access is hard, long and difficult.
Posted by:
essenrun on Oct 06, 2020 01:30 PM
Stuke Sowle on Big Snow Mountain
One of my fav "Local" peaks! Great pictures!
Posted by:
Stuke Sowle on Aug 28, 2020 02:06 PM
kidz won't hike on Big Snow Mountain
Well done and nice report and pics, as usual! We have been wanting to do this one, but not sure we can do it in a day, even with riding bikes up to the trailhead.
Posted by:
kidz won't hike on Aug 28, 2020 04:06 PM
Another Option for Big Snow Mountain
Another route to get to the top of Big Snow Mountain is to take the Dingford Creek trail to Myrtle Lake (about 6 miles). Then route find to Big Snow Lake (1-2 hours in 1 mile). Then ascend Big Snow Mountain, which is another 1500 ft of elevation gain. The best route is to go around Snowflake Lake and then up, staying slightly left. The rest is relatively easy to negotiate and find your way up. The distance isn't much different, but you escape the 7 miles on the road. This is also a very challenging day hike, but very rewarding...not for the faint of heart.
Posted by:
ThriveHiker on Dec 08, 2020 08:30 PM