Go as far as your legs will let you and you won’t be disappointed.
(Unless you’re a crab apple or the weather is bad, this is a vista focused hike)
I went TH>Ridge>Notch> Sulphide Glacier>TH in 6.5 hours just shy of 9 miles and 3,800ft RT. Once you hit the ridge the views only continue to get better as you move along the trail. Crisp sunny fall day. I almost didn’t want to write a trip report because I felt like this one was so detailed (Shannon Ridge, Sulphide Point, Sulphide Glacier — Washington Trails Association (wta.org).
Road: Minivan approved. Gravel but minor potholes. It is windy season so I had to manually move two logs that fell over the road. TH has a nice bathroom and trail log. On a fall Friday I was literally the only car there and the only person on the whole hike. It was unreal solitude. I could hear water dripping!
Trail: The WTA description is solid.
TH>Ridge: Super straightforward to follow. Starts with an easy grade and then picks up. Thankfully the trail was completely clear but I bet by next spring some blow downs will be there. I was thankful I had long pants because the upper sections of the trail are fairly overgrown and my pants were wet from the morning dew. Not too many “vista views,” on the way up.
Ridge>NPS Boundary: Boom, let the views begin. Mt. Baker is right there! Enjoy the wander and do make it all the way to the NPS boundary post. That’s the best viewing spot on the ridge.
NPS Boundary > Notch: If your legs can take it, I would recommend making it to the notch, the views GET BETTER! While the trail is still easy to follow it is not an easy trail. It’s straight up with parts of scre. But once you make it to the notch next to Sulphide point you are awarded an awesome view into the North Cascades interior and the picket range that literally had be saying “wow” out loud to myself.
Notch > Sulphide Glacier: This is the fun part. I believe in warmer months the boot path is fairly evident because I was still able to follow most of it with a 1-2 inch dusting of snow that fell last night. There's a few class 2.2 scramble sections, boulder fields, and exposure for the casual day hiker to be aware of but gosh the views are incredible!
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