Sauk Mountain
North Cascades
As of May 8, 2026, accessing Sauk Mountain Road requires caution due to significant potholes and ruts, especially as you near the trailhead. Parking may be limited by snow, requiring you to walk the last portion to the trailhead. The trail itself is generally clear of snow until around 5000ft elevation, with some minor washouts reported on May 4th. Above this, expect snowbanks and snowfields, especially on north-facing slopes.
Crossing snowbanks requires care to avoid slips (May 8th report). Traction and an ice axe are recommended for higher elevations, as trail runners are not advised (May 8th). One report on May 2nd noted a 15-20 foot split forming on the trail due to erosion, posing a potential hazard. Despite these conditions, summit views are reported as amazing. Yellow lilies and lanceleaf springbeauties are blooming.
generated from 33 reports
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Potholes are bad, ruts are bad, but a fwd with some wise decision making should help you reach the trailhead, from which is a mere 1500ft elevation gain to the summit.Still casual hikers should assess...
Snow on the road at the second-to-last switchback, I parked where Google Maps switches from Sauk Mountain Road to NF-1030. No TP in outhouse but looks pretty clean. Trail is clear of snow until ~5000f...
Here are photos to accompany my recent trip report for Sauk Mountain.
The unpaved road off of hwy 20 starts off with some wide, deep potholes that continue intermittently up this steep climb all the way to about 1/2 a mile from the parking lot, where there’s enough snow...
Parked 3.5 miles away from the trailhead in my fwd sedan due to snow beginning on the road. Put spikes on my trail runners 1.7 miles in. Had to turn around about 0.2 miles into the actual trail (photo...
The Sauk Mountain Road is getting worse again. A normal sedan can make it through carefully on the main road but that last naughty bit of about 300 yards to the parking lot would not be recommended un...
Was the third car to arrive at the trailhead just before 9am on this lovely September Thursday. Road remains rough, but should be passable for any car with care, my Crosstrek had no issues. The cute A...
It was foggy the entire time I was here. I was hoping the sky would clear but nope, not today. This caused me to focus more on the vegetation and animals that could see. The hillsides are packed solid...
The road is doable for almost any car except for maybe the very end slope leading up to the main parking lot, we were totally fine in our Crosstrek. Most major potholes are avoidable if you're going s...
Attempted to hike this trail today but not prepared for the snow. Sauk Mountain road has some potholes and is a bit bumpy but manageable to drive through. About a mile from the trailhead there is snow...
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