44.5 miles, 14,596 ft of elevation gain (not including access trails)
This section has three main peaks and three main valleys, each a little lower than the one before. Water is abundant in most of this section.
Warning: Be sure these access trails are open. You may need to plan alternate access routes.
[0.78 miles] Sauk Pass (5,396 ft) / Intersection with Meander Meadows Trail (East exit. Connects with Little Wenatchee Trail which takes you to a barely-there dirt road.
[0.98 miles] Intersection with Little Wenatchee Trail (East. A 6.37 mile bail-out option). From here you will traverse the south side of Kodiak Peak.
[1.68 miles] East Ridge of Kodiak Peak and Intersection with Bryant Peak Trail (East. Dead end). From here you will traverse the east side of Kodiak Peak, above Indian Creek valley.
[2.9 miles] Indian Pass - Low point (4,962 ft).
[2.94 miles] Intersection with Indian Creek Trail (East. A 11.5 miles bail-out option). From here you will traverse the west side of Indian Head Peak.
[4.5 miles] Intersection with White River Trail (East. A 10 mile bail-out option)
From here you will climb up to an interesting chain of six small peaks on your way to White Pass. The trail goes along the NE side of each of those peaks as you head toward White Mountain. Overall, from here you will gain elevation until you reach Red Pass.
[4.84 miles] Reflection Pond. A not-great year-round water source.
[6.62 miles] White Pass Camp. Take a short trail SE to White Pass Camp. A spring there is a year round water source, and there is a toilet. The spring is accurately marked on the GaiaGPS map. From here you will traverse the south side of White Mountain.
[7.13 miles] Intersection with North Fork Sauk Trail #649 West. A 8.75 miles bail-out option. This is the best bail-out option from this section.
[8.43 miles] Red Pass (6,494 ft) is the first of the three high points in this section. The real high point is 0.25 miles before Red Pass. If you want a short side-trip you can summit Portal Peak, to the north. From Red Pass it’s all downhill to Chetwood Creek.
[9.3 miles] you will see the White Chuck Cinder Cone to the north, behind a pond. From here you will be following a tributary of the White Chuck River. This is where you will get some of the best views of Glacier Peak.
[10.1 miles] There should be a flowing creek just a few steps to the NW. The trail will cross this creek in 1 mile, and again in 2 miles]. From here you will descend into a more forested part of the trail.
[11.3 miles] Cross a tributary of the White Chuck River, then cross it again in 1/10th of a mile, again in 2/3 of a mile, and finally cross the White Chuck River proper at 12.2 miles.
[13.2 miles] Baekos Creek
14.3 miles creek, 14.5, 15.0
[15 miles] Low Point - Chetwot Creek
[15 miles] Intersection with White Chuck River Trail (West)
[15.8 miles] Intersection with Boulder Basin Trail (East. Dead End)
Cross Sitkum Creek
[15.9 miles] Intersection with Lost Creek Ridge Trail (West. Connects with White Chuck Trail.)
[16.5 miles] River Crossing - Kennedy Creek. This is one of the three most challenging river crossings in Washington. Of the three, this one runs high the latest into the summer.
From Kennedy Creek you will climb 1,503 ft over 2.09 miles to the Glacier Creek crossing where you can get water. This stretch is a ridgeline between the Kennedy Creek valley to the SE and the Glacier Creek valley to the NW.
[16.9 miles] Intersection with Kennedy Ridge Trail #639 (West. Connects with White Chuck Trail.)
[18.6 miles] Cross Glacier Creek at 5,310 ft. From here you will enter a more open forest. The trail will be flat-ish for 3.4 miles.
[19.8 miles] Pumice Creek. Then 20.3 another creek. Then 20.9
[ miles] Fire Creek is the last water before you reach Mica Lake. From here you will climb 1,181 ft over 1.82 miles, leaving the forest for an open vista.
[23.5 miles] High Point (6,281 ft) The high point is 0.12 miles before Fire Creek Pass. There are a couple tent sites there. You will see Fire Creek Pass from there because there are no trees.
[23.6 miles] Fire Creek Pass (6,136 ft). From here it’s all downhill to the Milk Creek Bridge, starting with an exposed descent to Mica Lake.
[24.7 miles] Mica Lake outlet. Where the trail crosses the stream the second time is a flat-ish area for a camp.
[26.7 miles] water
[28.8 miles] Milk Creek Bridge. The 2nd lowest point in this section. Get water here for the climb ahead of you – the steepest climb on the PCT in WA. From Milk Creek Bridge you will climb 3,664 ft over 4.57 miles on numerous switch-backs in a thick forest. At the ridge you will emerge from the trees onto an exposed meadow.
At 5,600 ft you cross over the ridge into the next valley, East Fork Milk Creek valley.
[33.5 miles] High Point 5,860 ft. Just beyond here there is a nice campsite in between the two upper tributaries, downhill from the PCT. The next 1.56 miles are basically flat.
[34.1 miles] 0.58 miles beyond the high point there should be a reliable stream for collecting water.
[34.8 miles] Intersection with Grassy Ridge Trail #788 (North. Dead end). From here you are in the Dolly Creek valley. A short distance (0.34 miles) down trail #788 are some nice campsites. Dolly Creek Valley is a beautiful open green meadow.
[35.x miles] High Point 5,938 ft. It’s literally all downhill from here.
[36 miles] At 5,387 the trail will go to the east of an unnamed pass into the Vista Creek valley. That pass is a possible camp site before you hit the switchbacks down to Vista Creek. It’s thick forest the rest of the way.
[38.3 miles water
[39.2 miles] Vista Creek Valley. The trail comes very close to Vista Creek at this point.
[41.3 miles] Intersection with Upper Suiattle River Trail #798 (East. Dead end). Water can be gathered at Vista Creek from here.
[43.7 miles] Dolly Creek crossing
[44.2 miles] Suiattle River Bridge
[44.4 miles] Intersection with Suiattle River Trail #784 West exit.
Another interesting way to end this section is to continue on to Suiattle Pass, then exit over Cloudy Pass to Holden Village mining camp and on to Lucerne where you can catch a ferry.