Black Peak by Corteo Peak and Fisher Peak ranks #20 on Washington State Top 100 Peaks. The nearest higher neighbor, Goode Mountain, sits over five miles away. Being close to Rainy Pass, parties often climb the peak via Maple Pass Loop Trail in one long day.
See more trip photos here.
Black Peak at a Glance
Access: Rainy Pass Trailhead
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 4880′-8970′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: not available
Dog-Friendly: no pets
The Preface
My friend Tim and I first met on Bandera Mountain, and then he invited me to climb Black Peak in June. Back then, we didn’t summit because of the terrible weather. But I had my first taste of the North Cascades from that trip.
I didn’t remember much from our initial trip other than the bad weather. But this time, the weather cooperated and made a massive difference in route-finding. We also were able to follow the cairns clear up to Wing Lake.
See more trip photos here.
Back to Black Peak
Three and a half months later, Tim and I returned to the national park. But this time, I witnessed the beauty of the North Cascades, and it blew me away completely. I knew I would return to find incredible views.
Now that we had a trail to follow, the entire trip was smoothsailing. We never had to be on any of the leftover snow in the upper basin. But we did contend with the scree and choss piles en route to the south ridge.
See more trip photos here.
Summit Views Plus Outro
The views on top were breathtaking and overwhelming. Just when I thought I’d see plenty of the Cascades, there was more to discover! But I couldn’t name any of the nearby peaks except the ones Tim mentioned.
It was a trip to remember. Then a year later, I discovered that the peak ranked 17 on the Bulger List (vs. Top 100). It’s the 100 highest peaks in Washington State. Then that marked the beginning of a new chapter.
See more trip photos here.
Do you think your labs could have made it to the area below the class 4 moves up the last 50ft to the true summit? I am heading out to day climb this on Thursday and will be bringing my border collie.
I am also going solo – if you are open I’d love a human partner and I’m sure my dog would like a canine friend as well. Thank you for all that you have shared, you have given me so much inspiration and future plans from your reports!
It’s been so long, I barely remember how my friend and I got up to the top. 🙂
We’d be happy to tag along on an outing sometime, and thanks for following!