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Trip Report    

Alpine Scramble (Snow) – Sky Mountain

Route/Place: Skyline Lake Trail to Sky Mountain Summit

Ritu Bindra Ritu Bindra
April 27, 2026
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • Stats & Conditions

    • Distance: 4.06 mi round trip

    • Elevation: 4,081 ft (Start) to 5,482 ft (Summit)

    • Ascent: 1775 ft

    • Moving Time: 3 hr, 45 min, 38 sec ( Multiple breaks to go over our lessons from the previous day's snow skills lesson to practice and such)

    • Weather: Bluebird day. Clear skies, no precipitation, and excellent visibility.

    • Road Conditions: US-2 is clear and suitable for all vehicles. Parked in Lot G.

Trip Report: Sky Mountain Snow Scramble

Building on our snow skills field trip from the day prior, our group of eight headed out from the Stevens Pass parking area (Lot G) for a technical snow scramble up Sky Mountain.

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The Approach: We began the ascent via the Skyline Lake trail corridor. The trail was steep from the outset, and we encountered consistent snow almost immediately. While the lower trail was well-trodden, icy patches necessitated an early transition to microspikes, which provided the necessary traction for a steady pace up to Skyline Lake (5,092 ft). We took a brief break at the lake to refuel and take in the view of the surrounding ridges before pushing toward our objective.

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The Scramble: From the lake, we maintained a north-northwest bearing to navigate toward the summit block of Sky Mountain. As we approached the saddle, we practiced our "walking in balance" skills, descending slightly from the ridge to position ourselves for the final ascent.

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The crux of the trip involved a steep climb through a south-facing gully toward the summit. With the sun warming the slopes, the snow became increasingly soft and "punchy." We were frequently post-holing, occasionally reaching knee-deep snow, which required careful maneuvering to avoid hidden holes and tree wells. We were in our Crampons and used our ice axes for this stability.

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The Summit: We reached the summit (5,482 ft) in the early afternoon. The reward was an incredible 360-degree view, with Glacier Peak standing out in full glory to the north. After a celebratory lunch at the high point, we retraced our route back down the gully and across the saddle.

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Wildlife & Observations: A highlight of the trek was discovering fresh bear tracks along the route. We crossed these tracks multiple times during both the ascent and the descent, adding a thrilling sense of adventure to our spring outing.

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Gear Notes

  • Traction: Microspikes were nice to have for the icy lower forest; crampons were necessary for the steep summit gully.

  • Protection: High gaiters were helpful given the deep post-holing encountered almost throughout the day.

  • A Big thank you to our leaders and Instructors for all their time and sharing their knowledge to help us out.