5F33F8B4-DEAF-44CB-B938-42E4B1DB4131.jpeg

Trip Report    

Alpine Scramble - Wahpenayo Peak, Denman Peak Traverse

A perfect fall trip plus a great workout at ~15 miles and ~5000’. This gorgeous traverse spanned a huge variety of multicolored terrain (meadows, summits, tarns/lakes, waterfalls, river crossings), with the Wonderland Trail gently escorting us back to the cars at the end of a long day.

  • Road suitable for all vehicles
  • Zero snow.  Cooler temperatures gave us substantial amounts of brush laden morning dew and helped us appreciate the utility of rain gear, even with a precipitation free forecast:A34E3827-52D9-4AC3-A61C-EE466979B6A5.jpeg

    (By Tianming Chen)

We headed out at 6:40 AM from Longmire (elevation 2760’) for some brisk early morning hiking using the Eagle Peak trail.  Our cross country travel began at ~5000’, traversing talus, light brush and meadows to finally emerge into stunning sunshine at 5700’:

D61CA8AF-7BE4-457F-A8D5-23F0B0E000D4.jpeg

A short time later found us on the summit of Wahpenayo Peak (elevation 6231):

6FDF04E1-DA7E-441E-A018-73BD2955C265.jpeg

DA5410C2-17E1-4BE6-A018-6CBE36A65D0E.jpeg

A key part of this traverse is descending to meadows on the southern aspect of Wahpenayo, then turning the corner northwards at ~5900’…

FD1A0A56-6663-4856-BA9F-AAB4DC792757.jpeg

…for a talus traverse that included a berry eating Bear (at a respectful distance):

4605E06C-E189-486D-8AA8-6AD9A31F62E2.jpeg

(By Tianming Chen)

On our way to an important cross country section (leading to the outlet of Cliff Lake)…

BCEF6AF9-2307-4735-A660-33C2A5986899.jpeg

…we took a brief break at a gorgeous tarn:

4E3AA94B-D2C9-4B2D-A5A3-51716C624FCB.jpeg

(By Tianming Chen)

We followed the eastern shore of stunning Cliff Lake…

85CBBD3B-AB30-48DC-93C5-BF8D16E30C28.jpeg

…then ascended a meadowed line towards Denman Peak:

41D3EF52-36E3-40A8-B021-B800FCEA64DA.jpeg

(By Max Parsons)

A great spot to catch your breath is the boot track trail at ~5800’, with a last chance to review the day’s route so far:

86D6C2B5-A4B4-43C2-A12A-645DD6B078B4.jpeg

After summiting Denman Peak (and shortly before reaching the Pinnacle Peak trail) we saw the eastern Tatoosh Range peaks with Mount Adams in the distance:

D6CDCD43-A92F-47C9-AABE-4B08E206A5A8.jpeg

There were surprisingly few folks on the Pinnacle Peak trail, but the Reflection Lakes parking area had plenty of people.  The world class Wonderland trail made our ~6 mile hike back to the cars a great way to end the day, with a final bit of excitement as we crossed the Nisqually River:

4117E8B3-816F-4299-945A-66B854D234EA.jpeg

An outstanding fall trip with lots of diverse scenery and time to forget the cares of lowland life.  Our total time was just under 12 hours, with ~4 hours from Longmire to Wahpenayo Peak and ~4 hours from Wahpenayo Peak to Denman Peak.  Photos from this (and other ) trips to this venue can be seen here.