Summit Chief Mountain and its neighbor, Little Big Chief, share a long ridgeline with Chimney Rock. The notable Alpine Lakes High Route above the Dutch Miller Gap spans the north of these summits. Meanwhile, one of the various scenic routes to these impressive peaks is through the Pete Lake Trail.
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Summit Chief Mountain and Little Big Chief Mountain at a Glance
Access: Pete Lake Trailhead
Round Trip: 33.4 miles
Elevation Range: 2840′-7464′
Essential Gear: helmet, rock & rope
Route Info: Cascade Alpine Guide, Jeff Heidel, Monty VanderBilt
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: no
Playlist: Ooyy
Friday, August 11
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
Pete Lake + Summit Chief Mountain
A Return for Neighboring Peaks
I returned after a trip to Chimney Rock and Lemah Mountain that I had completed last year. But this time, I visited their impressive northeast neighbors, Summit Chief Mountain and Little Big Chief Mountain. These two rugged peaks were much closer together and proved to be far more manageable to climb.
Additionally, I brought essential snow gear as I toyed with the idea of including Overcoat Peak on this trip. But after climbing my two primary goals, I decided it was best to exit early. That then prompted me to loop through the remote Waptus Lake in the beautiful valley below.
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Delayed Start on the Pete Lake Trail
I was on track to start walking at 4 AM, just like I did on this trail last year. But as I prepared to sleep by the trailhead, I realized I had forgotten to download the maps. So I drove out of the area to get cell reception and only started walking after 5 AM.
After sunrise, I finally reached Pete Lake and took a long break by the campground. Shortly, a man hiking in the area appeared, and we chatted briefly. Before continuing on the Waptus Pass Trail, I took a photo of the lake in case I returned through in the dark.
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The Lemah Meadow Bypass
Soon, I crossed the dry creek bed that was a ravine up higher. The underground water would eventually flow into Lemah Creek and into the Cooper River. After gaining 1000 feet over tight switchbacks, I left the path at the corner at 4000 feet and went north.
The 600-foot ascent to the crest held lots of annoying windfalls and pockets of vine maple. This alternate route shaved off three miles but had enough brush to be irritating. In turn, I avoided the would-be-busy Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which travels right through Lemah Meadow.
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A Scenic Traverse to Vista Lakes
I started seeing the trail Jeff mentioned finding at 5000 feet when I was around 4600 feet. So I followed the faint path before it faded past 5400 feet as the scenic landscape slowly took shape. En route were excellent glimpses of Bears Breast Mountain and the impressive Mount Daniel to the north.
Below 5600 feet, I joined the upper PCT and then headed west while rounding the ridge. During this, I met three northbound hikers and got my first good look at Summit Chief Mountain. Before long, I reached the lower Vista Lake at the top of the PCT switchbacks.
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The Approach to Summit Chief Mountain
It had been bone-dry without any water since I left the Pete Lake area. So I enjoyed several long breaks by the lakes while checking out my first climbing goal. Then it would be a two-plus-mile rolling ridge traverse before I reached the bottom of the route.
Beyond the lakes, I followed a faint trail that eventually took me up to the ridge crest. Soon, I was overlooking Summit Chief Lake, where the path I was on began to dwindle. But I moved in and out of the slabs to minimize elevation loss, thinking it would be more efficient.
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The Southeast Basin Route
But in hindsight, I should have dropped to 6000 feet and taken the scree field instead. It would have been much quicker and saved me from having to traverse the steep, sloping slabs. Soon, I stashed my pack in the lower talus basin at 6300 by the snowfield.
Despite the leftover snow still in the gully, I avoided it by hugging the buttress on the east. The terrain briefly steepened before eventually leveling off in the vast upper basin. I soon pinpointed the ramp noted in the reports before moving toward it once again.
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The Final Push up the Southwest Gully
I walked along the edge of the snowfield and aimed at the access ramp at 7000 feet. But it took some time to step up the steep, hardpan as I tried not to trigger rockfalls. Then I made a rising traverse through more talus to the notch, another 200 feet higher.
Soon, I headed north around a minor buttress and into the gully directly below the summit. Then I hugged the nearby cliffs to avoid sliding on the loose rocks along the route. The final airy moves took me through unstable rocks over a slightly dipping, exposed slab.
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Views from Summit Chief Mountain
The impressive Chimney Rock and Overcoat Peak were the main features from this high vantage point. It was hard to believe this jagged landscape was only within 10 miles of Snoqualmie Pass. Meanwhile, the Alpine Lakes High Traverse peaks loomed high above the beautiful Foss River Valleys.
The afternoon lighting blended Little Big Chief Mountain perfectly into the massive Bears Breast Mountain. But the excellent view of Waptus Lake, which I had only seen from Goat Mountain, was fantastic. The many southern peaks had just begun to show their shadowy and dramatic-looking sides.
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The Traverse Northbound to Camp
I slowly retraced my steps to the lower basin before heading north. Along the route, I stayed roughly 6200 feet below Middle Chief Peak to avoid losing too much precious altitude. Again, it would have been ideal to drop to 5800 feet below the buttresses instead.
Weaving through the mounds of talus below Little Big Chief Mountain took quite a while. I later crossed its east notch at 6500 feet and glanced at the route I would need to take. However, it soon became apparent that there was no feasible way to descend to the snowfield below.
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Northeast Basin of Little Big Chief Mountain
After checking all the available holds, I downclimbed the rock pillars to the edge of the moat. I was so glad that the debris had filled the gaps as I carefully climbed out from the west. Before long, I reached the lower snow and descended through the scenic waterfall gully to a flat spot.
I was unsure why I was so persistent on camping at Dutch Miller Gap tonight. But before going any lower, I realized climbing back up in the morning for my second goal made absolutely zero sense. So I went back up through the shrubs and set up the tent for the night at 5700 feet.
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Saturday, August 12
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
Little Big Chief Mountain + Waptus Pass
Ascending Little Big Chief Mountain
The following day, I returned through the waterfall gully to 6000 feet. Then I headed northwest over the minor crest coming off Little Big Chief Mountain’s north ridge. Among the slabs were several small ponds that would be available for nearby camping use.
I took the mild ramp north of the shrubs to the top of the broad north ridge. Soon, I was heading south on the crest with stunning views appearing on all sides. Then the ridge narrowed considerably as I moved through the more jagged and exposed terrain.
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The Problem of the Ridge Gap
Above 6600 feet was the low-fifth crux on the other side of a ridge notch, featuring a large vertical crack in the rock. Monty noted that the left side was more manageable for their group to navigate through. However, I didn’t care for the higher exposure there and went straight up the gap.
Jamming my boot into the crack felt awkward without having my rock shoes. But the holds were decent and got me to the narrow platform just above the crux. Then, with a few more steps, I reached the top ledge and spotted the old anchor behind some shrubs.
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Southeast Ridge to the Southwest Gully
I looked at the notch from the other side and was glad I brought a rope to use for later. For now, I made a rising traverse through the visible ramp east of the main rocky crest. Soon, I was on the southeast ridge past the last snow, but immediately knew I was off-route.
Here was where the Cascade Alpine Guide’s route descriptions became quite fuzzy. So I explored by taking a narrow ramp into the southwest gully, which looked very doable from the crest. En route, I noted the notch above a sizeable sloping rock just south of the cliffs.
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The Final Push from the East
Halfway up, the gully ended short of the cliffs that were directly below the summit block. Then I compared the photos with the route, and nothing looked similar at all. Since I couldn’t continue upward, I wanted to try the notch above the boulder I noticed earlier.
An awkward move soon put me at the crest right above the chossy terrain. Then the notch brought me back to the east, where I finished the final bit over class 4 terrain. Meanwhile, I noticed the standard route directly below me; whatever people, I thought to myself.
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Views from the Summit of Little Big Chief
The south views were still grand but not nearly as dramatic as seen from Summit Chief Mountain. There was the tiny tip of Chimney Rock, but no signs of Overcoat Peak at all. Meanwhile, vistas in all the other directions were more or less the same as I had seen before.
But the best part was seeing seven lakes, including Crawford Lake and the distant Cooper Lake. After staring at Waptus Lake for a few minutes, I decided to end the trip by looping through the lake basin instead. I was not too keen on returning through the rocky terrain.
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Leaving Summit Chief Mountain and Little Big Chief Behind
From the top, I downclimbed the class 4 terrain to the top of the old anchor. But since I only brought a 30-meter rope, I continued down the steep and grassy slope. Then I rappelled off a decent-sized chockstone lodged behind a giant rock to reach the snow.
Back at the ridge gap, I made another rappel to the other side before continuing my descent. Soon, I retraced the route through the slabs and the waterfall to reach my camp. But with 17.5 miles ahead of me, I skipped my nap and packed up to leave the beautiful area.
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From Dutch Miller Gap to Ivanhoe Lake
Despite the mild slope angles on the map, cliffs lined the entire south side of the pass. So, at 5400 feet, I moved east to the stream from the waterfall located high above me. Then the creek bed led me north to the broad, woodsy gap I had only seen on the map.
As I walked down the trail, Ivanhoe Lake below Bears Breast Mountain soon appeared. On the map, there looked to be a path through the east of the water. After several photo stops by the west shore, I crossed the outlet to the east by a bridge.
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An Adventure in the Waptus Lake Basin
Dutch Miller Gap Trail made many tight switchbacks before dropping into the Waptus Lake Basin. Soon, the trail completely faded under the tree debris after passing a large wetland. I had somehow disturbed a wasp nest while taking photos atop a massive downed log.
I ran as fast as I could after two stings, but dropped my phone during the whole ordeal. Luckily, talking voices from a podcast I was listening to allowed me to recover the device quickly, what a huge relief! Before long, I relocated the trail and headed north on the popular PCT for a bit.
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Second Night Spent on Waptus Pass
After crossing the Waptus River over the sturdy bridge, I briefly chatted with some PCT thru-hikers. I took the lakeshore trail and ate my dinner by the water as the sky slowly dimmed. Afterward, I shortcut through the horse trail that went past the established, empty campsites.
Without any logs, I forded the shin-deep river in the dark with my hiking shoes still on. Then it was bone-dry for four miles before finally finding water by the Escondido Lake Trail beyond Waptus Pass. I found a nearby camp and soon dozed off to the pleasant sound of the small creek.
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Sunday, August 13
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
Pete Lake + Exit
Ending the Summit Chief Mountain Journey
It was another beautiful day of sunshine ahead as I slowly awoke to the birds all chirping. I packed up my camp with breakfast on the go and soon crossed the scenic Cooper River. Before long, I was back where I had left the trail for the ridge traverse two days earlier.
I met a family of four on their way to Cathedral Pass by the main trail switchbacks. Then, with little stopping, I finished the last 4.5 miles from Pete Lake to the trailhead. En route were a dozen hikers on their way to the very busy and popular lake for the day.
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