Southwest Loowit Loop, Loowit Trail — Tuesday, Jun. 17, 2025

Hiked this as a 2 night, 3 day trip starting CW from Climbers Bivouac TH. In summary I stayed at Toutle River the first night & Plains of Abraham the second night. Snow was the worst on the west side with one or two crossings on the east side. The blast zone's obstacles were sections of VERY overgrown trail, crossing the Loowit River, and using my GPS to navigate the barren landscape (no real trail.) Other than some snow on the east side, the biggest difficulty was descending/ascending deep ravines where there is no stable footing. Last mile before the junction with the Ptarmigan Trail was fully covered in snow at times.

Day 1: Climbers Bivouac to Toutle River

First couple miles are a relatively easy going forest climb as I approach the Loowit. Once there the trees make way for the Swift Creek lava flow; making for fancy footwork & routefinding through jagged boulder fields. It is worthy of note that any areas with tree cover or north facing slopes almost always had at least some snow. Throughout this section there were a couple of small water sources crossing the trail but I wouldn't rely on them being here in a few weeks. I'd say there were two maybe three super sketchy snow crossings that required an ice axe and spikes. Otherwise I was able to either follow bootpack or navigate off trail around the snowfield. The snow was at its worst just after the Butte Camp Trail junction. Once beyond there it seems to be much more manageable. On the last couple miles of trail to the Toutle river camp there is one MASSIVE tree in the way, otherwise conditions were easy to navigate. Eventually I make it to Toutle River having the place all to myself.

Day 2: Toutle River to Plains of Abraham

Starting early in the morning, I'm met with a gnarly climb out of the Toutle River drainage. after scaling up a vertical wall of loose rock/sand it is a slow climb out of the canyon as a whole. As is the case for much of this route there is seldom a stable surface when crossing the sandy and rocky faces of the mountain so tread with caution because it is a loooong way down! After topping out I etch ever so close to the blast zone, passing through rolling hills with blooming lupine and groves of young doug firs. There are canyons you descend and ascend however they are much more tame than other parts of the route. In a grove of willows I did see two momma elk and two babies!! Seems like this is a good place to exercise caution because I almost ran right into them when passing through dense willows. Some groves of willows were nearly impossible to pass through especially with a larger pack so be patient here. In the heart of the blast zone GPS is almost an essential because the trail is impossible to simply "eyeball" based on markers which aren't consistent. Crossing the Loowit was about shin deep (I'm 6'3" btw) and quite swift. Near Loowit Falls I did spot a herd of nearly 30 mountain goats which was awesome!! Water sources here included a couple of small creeks in the blast zone, a spring near Windy Pass, and another small creek just on the other side. Otherwise the next reliable water source is where I camped for the second night right beneath Pumice Butte. This site is lovely but can get quite windy.

Day 3: Plains of Abraham to Climbers Bivouac TH

This final stretch was a long one!! Lots of sun, difficult terrain, and maybe two sketchy snow patches, however no ice axe is needed so long as you're okay with some off trail travel and/or following bootpack. There was actually one or two water sources between here and June Lake which is not how it is later in the season. The biggest issue in this section is the steep, unstable terrain when traversing canyons like the one where Muddy River drains from. One spot in particular is a 4-5ft drop because the trail collapsed, not sure how one would climb up this going CCW. As far as navigation goes, there is one area where snow completely covers the trail requiring GPS. Once I finally made it to the forest on the approach to June Lake I found some cruisy trail that was also sheltered from the heat of the day. However, the boulder fields on the approach to Chocolate Falls are not to be taken too lightly, fancy footwork and navigational confidence is needed. Beyond Chocolate falls is what I'd consider a "heartbreaker finish" because it is CLIMB up to the Ptarmigan Trail junction. Additionally this is where I found the most challenging sections of snow because the trees were so dense and the snow is deep & uneven. Also watch out for tree wells here as I saw a couple of nasty ones. Once I finally made it back to the junction the last two miles made for an easy descent to the trailhead.

All in all the trip was lovely if you're someone who likes an adventure. This is likely the coolest route I've ever done but also one of the hardest!! If you are not confident with traversing alpine snowfields I'd wait until early-mid July. However, going early in the season made it so I only needed to carry two liters at a time if even that. Plus side to going early in the season is also that I saw almost NO ONE! Having both campsites to myself and the vast majority of hiking (briefly saw one person in the AM on day two and that's it). Instagram post below with more photos.

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.instagram.com/p/DLOIKzgSu_Q/?img_index=1