Trip Report
Backpack - Carne Mountain High Route Loop
Beautiful, challenging backpacking and scrambling
Alina Badus
- Fri, Sep 27, 2024 — Sun, Sep 29, 2024
- Backpack - Carne Mountain High Route Loop
- Carne Mountain
- Backpacking
- Successful
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- Road recommended for high clearance only
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Chiwawa River Road would be passable to any vehicle except for a few miles between Little Giant Pass trailhead and the Phelps Road trailhead. Phelps Road has been updated and smoothed! The work crews were just ahead of us, and the road was great.
Trail and route are in good condition and the off-trail sections are boot paths that are reasonably easy to follow. There is some steep, loose rock just west of Freezer Pass, and scree field traverses. Due to the amount and technicality of off-trail travel, I would only recommend this route to an experienced party - everyone should have some off-trail travel and ideally scrambling experience. I would also keep the party relatively small, no more than six people.
Great backpacking trip in early larch season, with a strong, fun group.
There is good camping in the basin below Carne Mountain, with plenty of tent space and running water. It does get cold here, with the cold air trapped in the basin.
The camping area along Box Creek is also delightful, with beautiful views, protected sites and good water. I would love to return here for a more relaxed larch trip, and skip the high route traverse.
Plenty of campsites at Ice Lakes, feeling quite private despite the number of campers:
Many sites already had rock walls. We huddled behind these as we got hit with the strong winds and early snow that engulfed the Cascades this weekend. Woke up to temperatures in the 20s, a good test of our gear and skill!
Once you make your way carefully down Freezer Pass:
...the rest of the traverse is a bootpath and relatively easy to follow. You encounter a few deep, steep rock gullies, but if you look around you will find marked paths that take you to good crossing places.