I hiked the Devils Dome loop as a solo-backpacking trip over three days. I originally intended it as a four day, three-night trip but went a little faster than planned. The weather forecast was for hot weather, approaching 100 degrees towards the end of my time. I didn’t find that the heat was really a problem though as it was a little cooler in the hills than in the low country.
Day one’s intended destination was Devil’s Park. Started from the Canyon Creek trailhead off of HWY 20 at 7 am, hoping to avoid the heat of the day. The trail was easy to follow although a bit rough in spots. This trail is not maintained by the forest service but the “roughness” mostly means that the trail is overgrown and crowded in spots. Most of the overgrown portions only come up to the knees however so it did not impede travel much at all. You do consistently gain elevation so expect to earn your miles. While not exceedingly steep, there is no mistaking that you are heading uphill quickly.
The first bit of navigation comes with the intersection of the Jackita Ridge trail and the branch off to Crater Mt. As others have noted, this intersection is not marked and the most obvious trail is the one that leads to Crater Mt. I went about 20 yards down this trail before I got the feeling that I had missed something. I backtracked to the creek and sure enough, found the right trail leading off on the other side of the creek. The trail is clear but unless you actually go down to the water and look for it, you may miss it.
Once you gain the ridge and enter McMillans Park, the beauty of the area really comes alive. You begin to see the mountains and the flowers in the alpine meadows. This is what you hike this trail for. After the steady up hill of the first several miles it feels good to pass through this relatively flat area. There are a lot of mosquitos in this area however so I kept moving to avoid being eaten alive.
I reached the Devils Park shelter at roughly noon. I spent about 40 minutes resting and checking out this area. There is a good water source and the flowers are abundant. I ultimately decided not to stay here for the night, just because I had so much day left. The next several miles of trail gain elevation and take you on to Jackita Ridge. The views continually get better and open up more of the cascades for your viewing pleasure.
The next several miles are a pleasure to hike. The main difficult spot was the scree field. It is a steep downhill with very loose rock. This area is a slow down no matter how you approach it.
I decided that I was going to try to reach Devils Pass for the night and if I had enough daylight, Devils Dome. Unfortunately the last two miles before Devils Pass are hellish when tackled at the end of the day. It is a very steep, rough downhill and equally steep uphill on the other side. There was a beautiful campsite two miles before Devils Pass and I wish I had stayed there. I reached Devils Pass after 17.5 miles and over 7K of elevation gain and almost 4K of elevation loss. The bugs were really bad and I spent any time before sleep in my tent to avoid them. I did not find any water near Devils Pass but water had been plentiful throughout the day so I had plenty.
Day 2 started at 6 and I was on the trail by 7. The 4 miles or so to Devils Dome are very pretty and the trail takes you right to the edge of some serious drop offs. The trail never feels unsafe but you definitely want to pay attention. Reached Devils dome just after 8. I definitely want to come back in the future and camp a night on top. It has many spots to drop a tent and affords 360 degree views of the cascades.
I spent about 35 minutes on top before heading down the trail. There is a water source just a little ways down from the dome that should be consistent throughout the summer.
The trip down to the valley is a fairly gradual downhill, in fact I wondered at times if I was ever going to get down to the lake. You eventually do though. The views of Jack Mt. continue to change throughout the hike until you eventually say goodbye for good and drop in to the lower trees.
I reached my destination of Rainbow Point campground sometime around 4. The trail to the camp takes you right along Ross Lake and is very nice. A totally different view than the mountains but a nice change. The path at times is cut right out of the rock and is really spectacular. The campground is really nice with three sites that each has two tent sites. I took a swim in the lake and just spent some time relaxing and reading. There were virtually no bugs to speak of which was a welcome change. The temperature in the valley was much warmer than in the hills so it was a very hot sleep.
I hit the trail at 6 the next morning, hoping to be back to the car before noon. The East Bank trail is very flat so I was able make very good time. Most of the trail is through forest so there wasn’t a whole lot of incentive to go slow. The bugs were back once you got a way from the lake so beware. The only elevation gain is over hidden hand pass but it is a very gradual gain and loss.
The worst part of the whole trail was the last mile. From the East Bank trailhead you follow the river, which is beautiful, to the canyon creek trailhead. There is a sign at one point that says this 2.5 miles is maintained by the Skagit Audubon club but I am guessing that they haven’t had a trail day in a while. There are multiple downed trees crossing the trail that you have to fight through. This is one top of crossing through boulders and brush so thick you just have to trust that you are on the trail. Not fun. All good, and bad, things come to an end though and it was a great feeling to see the footbridge signifying the return to where I started.
Overall this is a great trail. Lots of views. Plenty of camping options for whatever length of days you want to hike.
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