Breccia Peak by Bingley Gap and Mount Pugh is accessible via Lost Creek Ridge Trail. A former stratovolcano, it’s also the 8th tallest peak in the Mount Pugh-Black Mountain area. Plus, the summit offers a panoramic view of Glacier Peak Wilderness.
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Breccia Peak at a Glance
Access: Lost Creek Ridge Trailhead
Round Trip: 12.2 miles
Elevation Range: 1850′-6487′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
I first read about Breccia Peak while researching Bedal Peak. Then a recent report from last week sparked my interest. So I enlisted Dave to check out the peak. But the pups stayed home after yesterday’s trip.
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Driving to the Trailhead
Mountain Loop Highway looked to have been free of snow for some time this season. The section from Barlow Pass to Road 49 had lots of potholes. So was from the road turnoff up to the trailhead.
No other cars were at the trailhead when we arrived. We expected that since the mountain doesn’t get many visitors in a year. The area also hasn’t had much snowfall in the past week. So we decided to leave snowshoes back in the car.
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Lost Creek Ridge Trail
The Lost Creek Ridge Trail was in excellent condition. So there were just some down trees to bypass. The elevation gain for the first half mile was moderate. Then it pretty much went straight up to Bingley Gap through many switchbacks.
Snow patches appeared just past the gap. Soon, the trail was under full snow coverage. But we could still follow it. The path took us south of the ridgeline. Later, we came out of the forest and began scrambling.
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En Route to Sunup Lake
Two climbing parties were just here last week. So we were able to use the somewhat fresh boot tracks to the Round Lake Trail junction. Then Breccia Peak and Round Lake came into full view finally.
From there, we avoided two more ridge knobs by staying in the south. Then we went north to reach Sunup Lake. The lake was still under the snow. So we couldn’t tell how big it was. Breccia Peak was now directly north of us.
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Breccia Peak Summit Views
The west slope was a bit steep and with ice in places. But the overall snow conditions were excellent. So we were able to make decent steps through to the top. Meanwhile, there was the view of Round Lake at the bottom.
Breccia Peak was another vantage point. Along the way, we had glimpses of the taller neighbors. But seeing Mount Pugh, Sloan Peak, Bedal Peak, and Glacier Peak from up here was just breathtaking. A group of two arrived later, and we chatted a bit.
It was a bit windy. But we managed to stay awhile before leaving.
See more trip photos here.