Dishpan Gap — Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025

Momo’s Muddy Paws Club is continuing our summer quest to slowly check off all the dog-friendly backpacks in Craig Romano’s Backpacking Washington—our seasonal bible.

This week’s adventure: the Dishpan Gap Loop. We made it to the North Fork Skykomish trailhead in a Prius and bottomed out exactly zero times. A few evasive pothole maneuvers were required, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.

The berries were all-time. Thimbleberries. Huckleberries. Blueberries. Salmonberries. We ate like kings—Momo included.

We camped at Lake Sally Ann, which has plenty of sites and gorgeous views. Trout were jumping, and the privy boasted a spectacular vista… though it’s more “hole flush with the ground” than “throne.”

The PCT section was stunning, with sweeping views of Glacier Peak. We tackled the loop in two days: about 11 miles to Lake Sally Ann, then just over 10 miles out. If you want to split it up more, there’s excellent camping at 6.5 miles at the PCT junction (47.92824, -121.17769). It’s a bit of a push to Sally Ann with 3,681 feet of gain.

Trails were in great shape, traffic was light but steady, and the berries kept us fueled. Mosquitoes made a few appearances but were never too bad—even at the lake—though repellent is still a good idea.