Caroline Peak by Preacher Mountain shares a joining ridge with Wild Dare Peak. It sits above Upper Wildcat Lake and Lake Caroline in Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Meanwhile, a common way to the peak is through Snow Lake Trail.
See more trip photos here.
Caroline Peak at a Glance
Access: Snow Lake Trailhead
Round Trip: 18.3 miles
Elevation Range: 3120′-5885′
Gear: snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: on the trail
The Preface
The peak has been on the radar since I first saw it from Preacher Mountain. The pup and I attempted in 2014 but turned around at Upper Wildcat Lake after going off-route. So here we were three years later.
An overnight trip to the peak would make the long hike worthwhile. But I kept putting the plan on hold because of the popularity of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Then I decided to climb it in one long day and leave the heavy pack home.
See more trip photos here.
Snow Lake Trailhead
The forecast had a slight chance of rain and snow in the late morning. So the pup and I started hiking later. There was snow en route and down the north side of the wilderness boundary.
But none of the snow posed any real issues. Later the trail ended at the marked junction. So we went on High Lakes Trail and crossed the outlet on the bridge. I saw a tent above the cliffs.
See more trip photos here.
Gem Lake to Caroline Peak
It turned wintry halfway up to Gem Lake. We passed five hikers along the muddy trail as they exited. Later the path went around the north shore. Then it crossed the steep west face of Wright Mountain.
The trail dropped steeply into Lower Wildcat Lake Basin through several switchbacks. And soon, it was a mainly now-free terrain. The sky cleared up at one point as we crossed a small stream through the talus.
See more trip photos here.
Wildcat Lakes Basin
An altitude loss of 1000′ put us at the lowest point in the basin. Then we went up 300′ through the light brush to Upper Wildcat Lake. Later I chatted with two hikers below the outlet as they existed.
Soon, we reached the trail’s end and continued to the north edge of the lake. Through a steep talus and wet vegetation, we got to the 4640′ saddle shortly. En route were three cairns showing that we were still on track.
See more trip photos here.
Northeast Ridge Route
Going through the northeast ridge was at first cumbersome without enough snow. But we moved slowly to be safe and constantly watched for hungry bears. The heavily forested crest and outcrops sometimes forced us onto the west.
It would’ve been much more comfortable to side-traverse the hill without the snow. We sometimes picked up what looked like animal tracks and tried staying on them until they faded.
See more trip photos here.
Caroline Peak Summit Views
Tall trees thinned out as the ridgeline veered south at 5000′. More snow showed up as we climbed higher, and soon, I put on snowshoes to ease the grunt work. I almost left them back in the car, but glad to have brought them.
Below the north buttress was a massive talus spanning north of the peak. So we continued west to 5600′ to find the milder terrain. Soon, we were on the west ridge at 5900′ through more rocks before scrambling east to the top.
See more trip photos here.
Leaving Wildcat Lakes Basin
Glad it wasn’t windy up here, nor did the afternoon snow plus rain forecast ever happen. Then we savored the views as clouds shifted around the area. Knowing we wouldn’t return before dark, we enjoyed 45 minutes on top before going back down.
We retraced steps from the talus back to Wildcat Lakes. Then we followed the trail up to Gem Lake and Snow Lake. Then we climbed for the last time to the wilderness boundary before walking the rest 2.5 miles to the car. A long day it was!
See more trip photos here.