White River Trail heads north between Mount David and Sopa Peak in Glacier Peak Wilderness. The 14-mile path crosses Boulder Creek before winding west below the imposing Clark Mountain. It then ends at the Pacific Crest Trail, which continues to White Pass, west of Indian Head Peak.
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White River Trail at a Glance
Access: White River Trailhead
Round Trip: 15.6 miles
Elevation Range: 2280′-2960′
Essential Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Reels
Walking Along the Raging White River
I aimed to climb Chalangin Peak using the horse trail I found near Thunder Creek in 2019. However, the massive brush was the only downside of going through White River Valley. But from what I could remember, it had a decent trail despite needing significant pruning.
Connor and I strolled the quiet trail to the Boulder Creek fork in 4.5 miles. Along the way, I’d try getting photos of the river when the path moved near the raging water. Otherwise, we could only hear the sound due to the dense brush along the shore.
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Instagram: A Tale of the White River Trail
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Through the Broad Brushy River Valley
After leaving the forest, we soon noticed a new sign warning hikers of the trail past that point. Having been here once, I was mentally ready, and we continued under the hot sun. Then, it was 2.5 miles of swimming in the brush through the otherwise gorgeous valley.
The brush and mosquitoes dwindled before we crossed Thunder Creek on logs. Then, after under a mile, we looked for the horse trail somewhere in the slide alder. Sadly, despite my old waypoint and the missing shoe once marking the path, it was now under the new debris.
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Seeing Onset of Airplane Lake Fire from White River Trail
The smoke on Sauk Mountain I saw earlier looked even worse from where we stopped. Since we couldn’t continue, leaving the area before the fire became more serious was best. But we first took a long break to let Connor cool off in the shade.
Retracing steps through the dense brush felt more unbearable. But it was even more shocking to see a hiker amid the grass, making his way to Thunder Creek Basin! Before continuing down the valley, I mentioned the gone trail and the overhead smoke.
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