Last updated: March 2023
Distance
22.8 miles (measured from the Chinook Pass parking lot to the Mike Urich Cabin)
You save 624 feet of elevation gain if you go northbound. Total northbound 5,307. Total southbound 5,931
I also
like northbound because it’s easier to get a drop-off on a paved road, and its
easier to get a hitch down from the trail at the end of a day. And finally because
there’s food in Greenwater, WA.
Don't confuse Naches Pass with
Naches Peak or the Naches Loop Trail.
Naches Peak is 0.5 miles south of Chinook Pass, and the Loop Trail goes
around it. Naches Pass is 23 miles north
of Chinook Pass. They should have named that peak something else because it’s
confusing. Naches Pass is named because
if you start at Yakima, WA and follow the Naches river
you will end up here, above where that river begins. It's an east-centric name; You will never
actually see Naches Creek, but you will cross over Meadow Creek which flows to
the west and is the access route to Naches Pass from Puget Sound.
The campsites and water sources in this section are few so
you will need to do some planning ahead.
This section does not have many options for dividing it. The
most logical place to divide it would be at Barnard Saddle
From Halfcamp Trailhead its 4
miles and 2,600 ft to Barnard Saddle.
The first 3 miles are a steep 752 fpm.
Other access routes require a lot of hiking and a lot of driving on old
logging roads.
There are no public transport options to Chinook Pass or
anywhere along this section. There is no
mobile phone service anywhere near Chinook Pass. The parking lot is actually a few yards north
of Chinook Pass which is marked by a log pedestrian overpass. There are two vault toilets there. No running water that I know of.
[1.84 miles] Sheep Lake is a popular place to camp
for people looking for an easy-access lake.
There are sites on all sides of the lake except the west. Get water for
6 miles. The next water is Big Crow
Basin.
[2.95 miles] Sourdough Gap (6,396 ft) is the 2nd
highest point in this section. It's a steep but short climb from Sheep
Lake. I highly recommend you take a
short side trip over the ridge to the Crystal Lake valley. You probably don't want to go all the way
down to Crystal lake, but there are great overlooks
within 0.2 miles of the PCT. When you continue on the PCT from Sourdough Gap, you will be leaving
most of the day hikers behind.
[3.97 miles] There is one campsite just off the trail
that has a great view of Placer Lake and the valley below. It's marked in the FarOut app. No water
nearby.
[5.11 miles] Bear Gap is a five-way intersection. It's your first exit point to Crystal Lodge,
and your last exit point back to Hwy 410 via Morse Creek Trail.
[6.74 miles] After you turn right at the SW corner of Crown
Point you will get great views of Mount Rainier to the west that improve as
you go, gaining elevation. Those great views continue for 2.44 miles until
Scout Pass (or further if you choose to summit Norse Peak) as you stay on the
west side of the ridgeline. You will also be looking down on Crystal Mountain
Ski Resort that entire way which means a strong mobile phone signal.
[7.19 miles] Intersection with Bullion Basin Trail.
This is your best bail-out option to Crystal Lodge. It's 2.66 miles down. Shortly after this intersection you will
begin to see the burn area from the Norse Peak fire of 2017. That fire was so big, you will be walking in
the burn area for 12 miles, until Louisiana Saddle.
[9.18 miles] Scout Pass (6,522 ft.) is the highest
point in this section. Here you can
decide if you want to stay on the PCT and go around the east side of Norse Peak
to descend into Big Crow Basin, or if you want to summit Norse Peak (0.4 miles
and 275 ft.) and reconnect with the PCT 1.38 miles ahead. If you choose to summit, just pay attention
to your route finding until you reconnect with the PCT because there are
intersections with other trails.
After you lose sight of the Crystal Mountain base lodge, the
only two mobile phone antennas you can reach are either the ones near the top
of the gondola, or the ones across the street from the Greenwater
Fire Department.
[9.53 miles] If you stay on the PCT, after you cross over
Scout Pass you will begin to see Basin Lake to the east. Your best view
of it will be when you intersect with the side trail that goes to it. The trail
is 0.76 miles and drops 564 ft. Be aware
of the intersection half way down.
[10.2 miles] Big Crow Basin WATER. If you are coming from Norse Peak, the water
is right were the trail meets the PCT.
If you stayed on the PCT, you should be able to see the creek bed in the
valley below and get a sense of when you will meet it. The water here is a pipe tapping into an artesian
well.
Just a little north of the spring is the intersection with
the trail that goes down into Big Crow Basin to the ruins of an old stock shed
0.26 miles away. There are a lot of good
camp site options around it.
[11 miles] When you leave Big Crow Basin you will traverse
to Barnard Saddle, switch to the west side of the ridge, then, only 0.36
miles further, you will switch back to the east side at Hayden Pass.
[12.6 miles] the low spot in the middle of this
section is north of Little Crow Basin.
[13 miles] Martinson Gap. Is a camping option. No water.
[14.9 miles] Intersection with Tin Shack Tie Through. This is an exit route that will take you to
Coral Pass Trailhead which is accessed by a long dirt road.
[15.6 miles] If you find yourself desperate for water, you
may find some 0.71 miles down the Arch Rock Trail. That is an optional route to the same exit
road, but I don’t think it’s particularly scenic.
[17.5 miles] WATER There are two possible water
sources here within 0.25 miles of each other.
In 2022 the southern source went dry pretty early
in the summer. This is the last water until you reach Naches Pass 10 miles to
the north.
[19 miles] Louisiana Saddle. Intersection with Louisiana
Saddle Trail Just
before the Saddle is where the burn area ends.
You will be in dense forest for the remainder of the trip to Naches
Pass.
[20.2 miles] Rods Gap. One last 312 f t climb, then its all downhill to Naches Pass.
[22.1 miles] Some people may skip Government Meadow and instead take a left turn here onto a trail that will take you to the end of Greenwater Road, where there is a toilet.
[22.8 miles] Government Meadow / Naches Pass / Mike Urich Cabin You should be able to get water at Meadow Creek.
Sometimes you will find “trail magic” 1.23 miles north of
the cabin at Pyramid Pass. That
is where FR-1914 crosses the PCT. A southbound PCT hiker can tell you if that
is happening.
If you want to make it easier for your pick-up ride, you can
hike or hitch down to the Greenwater Lakes
Trailhead. That is 4.63 miles and effectively
all downhill. There is no water on that
route.
On the road to Greenwater you
probably won't get mobile phone signal until 1 mile before you reach highway
410. You are getting signal from the tower that is across the street from the Greenwater Fire Department. Greenwater
has a couple restaurants, a bar, a general store, and a gas station.