Whitehorse Mountain/Northwest Shoulder

Trip Report

While we didn’t summit, it still felt worthwhile to write a trip report since we found an interesting camp, gained better understanding of the difficult nature of this route and got good photos of the route. We also saw a party of two who did summit car to car while we were traveling on day two.

Whitehorse Mountain Trip Report – May 9–10, 2025

Private Trip: Laurel, Scott B., Doug S.

Route: Standard Route - Lone Tree Pass, to High Pass (NW Shoulder)

Outcome: Turned around at ~5,100 ft

Stopped to check out the mountain on our drive in from the road. Summit block in view. 

Close up view in on the summit block

Day 1 – Approach to Camp

Doug and I left the parking area at 12 pm. Scott was leaving town later and planned to start at 2 pm. The trail through the woods was easy to follow and we eventually reached the turnoff for the Niderprum Trail. Around 2,400 ft there was a large downed tree and the trail was rerouted around it. We followed the dirt paths and regained the trail after climbing under another big tree with our packs.

Niederprum Trail 

entering Boulder River Wilderness 

lower portion of trail, beautiful tall trees and plans growing in the forest

Doug enjoying the views of Darrington and North Cascades

At about 3,038 ft we left the trail to take the spring route up a gully towards the ridge. There was no snow at the point where we left the trail. The first gully we reached was narrow and filled with slide alder. Being early spring the slider alder had no leaves yet, so it was easy to see through it and determine where we wanted to go. We continued across into a second gully that connected higher up with the terrain we were aiming for. A third gully just beyond us had running water and we avoided it. The runoff was melting and the stream was exposed there with the snow line. In the particular gulley we choose to ascend, the snow line was higher up and we climbed until we could get onto the snow.

go this way :) area where we went off trail, moving towards the gulley system

 

snow, gully system and plants that are attempting to come back to life

after being in an avalanche chute over winter

views of Whitehorse summit area as we made our way up the slopes

last steep section before finding camp area

The snow was steep, hard and not super easy for travel. We decided to camp below the pass since there was no reason to haul all our gear higher when we could go up the next morning with lighter packs. We found a suitable spot around 4,330 ft near a grove of trees. Doug’s and my packs were each 44 lb and Scott estimated his at about 35 lb. We carried snowshoes, crampons and shovels. The shovels were useful for flattening tent platforms. Scott and I camped at the same elevation and Doug set up about 20 ft away on the next platform. Some clouds moved in during the evening. Doug decided he would not continue to the summit. He has done this route many times and was satisfied with the approach and descent.

our camp in the steep shoulder below the pass

 

While we were at camp making dinner, Kashan texted. We had cell service as we could see the town of Darrington below. He had planned a car to car attempt, meeting us at camp in the morning as he was going through. David was originally going to join him coming in early morning but had dropped earlier in the week. Kashan decided not to come in alone in the dark. This made sense since the approach is not straightforward in places, especially the off trail section. It would be a bit tricky in the dark and solo.

 

Scott and I planned to head out in the morning to explore the route and see how far we wanted to go.

 

Day 1 stats: Distance: 4.59 mi Ascent: 3,898 ft Descent: 138 ft Time: 7:00:59

 

Day 2 – Camp to 5,100 ft, Return to Camp, and Descent to Trailhead

We woke at 5 am and planned to leave at 6 am. Two climbers doing a car to car push came across the steep snow above camp around 5:30 am. Clouds were still sitting on the upper mountain. Visibility was limited but there was no precipitation.

morning light in the eastern sky 

camp below the pass

our group photo at camp (in place of a summit group selfie) - Laurel, Doug and Scott

We left camp at 6 am and climbed 600 ft up to High Pass. This part went quickly. From the pass we traversed and then descended southwest. This section is more difficult than it appears on the map. The snow was hard and icy. We wore crampons and kicked many steps on the descent. Since the snow had been very firm the day before, we left snowshoes at camp. This was the right choice. We used axes and downclimbed a few steep sections while moving from the ridge into the basin below the rocky slabs that lead to High Pass. Starting elevation on the pass was about 4,950 ft and we descended to 4,500 ft before climbing again. Travel was slow due to the steep slopes and hard snow.

last section before reaching Lone Tree Pass

Lone Tree Pass

last view towards the summit from Lone Tree Pass

 

We navigated using slope angle shading (via Gaia as a reference) and followed a similar line to Rob Busack’s GPX, staying farther from the steep cliffs than some parties prefer. We aimed for the orange and yellow slopes (30-35 degree slopes), passing through a few red sections and avoided the purple areas (40 degree+ slopes). We heard and saw open water coming out of the snow berms around 4,420 ft. We did not need water but noted the location.

 

From there we climbed about 500 ft to reach 5,100 ft. We could see the slabs below the final section to High Pass. The slabs were free of snow and did not pose an avalanche concern that day. It was about 9 am. It had taken us three hours to reach this point and we had just passed 5,000 ft of total gain for the trip. We estimated it would take another three hours each way to reach the summit and return. We did not want to commit to six more hours and decided this was our turnaround point for the trip. We can return on another day for a summit attempt.

5,100 below slabs with traverse that leads up to High Pass

 our non-summit selfie for the trip, happy to be out on a beautiful day

I carried a 60 meter rope, a picket and an extra tool for the summit block. We did not use any of these. They turned out to be training weight for this trip. We had a snack break and then descended back to 4,500 ft before climbing back up again to High Pass.

camp below the pass, minus Doug's pyramid tent that was already packed up

hefty packs for an early season alpine adventure, rope is inside the pack and ice axe in hand

We returned to camp, packed up and headed out. Travel back to the trail was quick. We reached the parking lot around 4 pm where Doug was waiting and reading a book. On the way down the two climbers who had passed through our camp earlier came by on their way out. They confirmed they had summited and said conditions were great. I envied their ability to move fast without overnight gear and snowshoes, and I noted that their speed made the summit possible for them that day.

We made quick time back down through the snow to the trail section

Transitioning through the slide alder back to the trail

 

We plan to return for another attempt, either as a long car to car day or another overnight with an earlier start and a motivated group. As others have shared, this route is a beast, being that it starts at almost sea level, has a ton of rugged off trail features, requires technical skills and focus, and involves carrying a large amount of alpine gear. It's not to be underrated, and I have a lot of respect for the people who complete this route.

 
Thank you to Doug and Scott for a great overnight trip!  

Day 2 stats: Distance: 6.90 mi Ascent: 1,900 ft Descent: 5,801 ft Time: 8:44:05

 

Two Day Totals (Garmin Fenix 8)

Distance: 11.49 mi Ascent: 5,798 ft Descent: 5,939 ft Time: 15:45:04

Caltopo Stats

Distance: 10.48 mi Elevation range: 534 ft to 5,118 ft Gross gain/loss: +5,726 ft / -5,726 ft

GPX: Ascent of Whitehorse Mountain on 2025-05-10 - Peakbagger.com

Map