Eldorado Peak by Dorado Needle overlooks Inspiration Glacier above Cascade River. Inspiration Traverse passes through the east flank to Tricouni Peak. Meanwhile, its nearest taller neighbor sits five miles to the southeast.
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Eldorado Peak at a Glance
Access: Cascade River Road @ mile 18.5
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 2160′-8868′
Gear: helmet, crampons, ice ax, rope
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: no pets
The Preface on Eldorado Peak
Eldorado Peak has been on the radar since I started going after the Bulger List. And today, I got to climb it with Seattle Mountaineers. Several nearby peaks were also on the list, but I would return for them later.
There was no shortage of steep terrain on this climb. Despite the massive rocks lower down, they were easy to hop through, yet annoying going the other way. But the crux was going from the car to the boulder field as I sweat in buckets.
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Inspiration Glacier to the Knife Edge
The team finally reached the top of the meadows after enormous effort. Then we crossed the notch before losing the hard-earned altitude to descend into Eldorado Basin. Once at the bottom, we immediately regained the elevation.
The teams roped up through Eldorado Glacier and Inspiration Glacier. That part had gone by in the blink of an eye and was a total blur. Then after slogging up the east ridge, we stood before the infamous knife edge.
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Eldorado Peak Plus Exit
The online photos I found didn’t do the feature justice! It also felt surreal to walk over the snow arête, wide enough for one person. We all moved slowly, trying not to lose footing before reaching the dry rocks on top.
It’s been cloudy, so we didn’t see much on top before leaving half an hour later. The clouds sometimes moved away to catch glimpses of the neighboring high points. But not long enough to photograph anything decent.
Overall, it was a long 14.5-hour day, car to car. But we all made it down safely.
See more trip photos here.