Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Hiking in the Cascades

I have never hiked in the Cascades and recently bought 4 Cascades hiking books from Amazon. The scenery seems absolutely out of this world and the described hikes seem stupendous. I'd be interested in hear comments from people who have hiked in the Cascades, especially regarding trail conditions and scenery. From the many photos I've seen , it blows away the High Sierra vistas, and that is a tough chore.

Sorry for this being off topic. :-)

The Cascades are awesome. Where were you thinking of going? I've spent time around and summiting Lassen and Shasta, the Sisters and Jefferson in Oregon, and Adams and Rainier in Washington. All are fun climbs with great day hikes and and backpack trips posiible. There is some good fishing available also. You can e-mail me with specific questions.

Cascades are definitly different than the Sierra but you'll have to climb a mountain to get any decent vistas. It's much more forested which limits vistas on a lot of trails unless you are above treeline but it also isn't on a mass of granite so it's not as rocky on the trails as the Sierra. The volcanic peaks are awesome! For a cascade type experience without the crowds check out Olympic national park.

Yes, the Cascades are awesome, but you do have to watch the weather much more than in the Sierra! I visited quickly last June, and hope also to do some more trips up there.

The big peaks are far more dangerous than Whitney, though, and are not hikes. Some are pretty easy and safe, like maybe Mt. St. Helens, but to do Hood or Rainier, go with a guide or a competant group. The crevasses will gobble you up, alive.

I'd suggest Oregon for trails to the top. McLoughlin, Scott, and maybe even Thielsen can be done solo, easily enough. There's some other minor ascents to be done about the North Cascades without climbing skills and rope work; I'd check into that.

There are coastal trails to do without dense woods. And, of course, the PCT.

Most hiking books don't dwell on the fantastic scenery you'd get from climbing peaks. Why you purchased four of them seems a bit redundent. I'd get a USFS map and speak with the rangers. I was able to pick up a book ($4) on ski touring up there, and aside from constant rain and snow in the winter, I was dying to try it.

Good luck on your trip, and remember you may need a Northwestern Forest Pass. I couldn't plan far ahead enough for hiking to a waterfall, once, so didn't get to see it. No iron rangers or information stations anywhere close!

I live in Washington and hike in Mt. Rainier National Park all the time. I've only been hiking there for the 1 1/2 years I've lived here and love the experience.

There are plenty of trails in the park and great views. I usually hike early in the morning because there are less people out. Even hiking mid-morning you can hike on trails that aren't crowded.

Some of the trails are very popular and bring the usual suspects out, but only a few of the trails get crowded during peak season. I once saw a woman pushing a stroller w/child up a trail while her husband carried the big ice chest. For the most part, rangers are visible and don't put up with the stupidity of the weekend warriors.

For trail conditions at Mt. Rainier go to www.nps.gov/mora, then click on activities, then hiking, and click on trail conditions. They update every week on Thursday during the summer, and periodically during fall and winter.

If you have specific questions you want answered e-mail me and I'll do my best.

Cakie,
Lassen is a day hiking paradise but I'd vote for the Three Sisters Wilderness area in Oregon as one of my Cascade favorites. Bend makes for a pretty good base and the PCT is the main North/South trail through the area. Trails are in excellent condition and offer some great views of the "Sisters". The terrain is interesting and gets very volcanic as you go north. I may be wrong but I think they tested one of the lunar vehicles up there near McKenzie Pass. I've enjoyed the general area a number of times. Goat Rocks Wilderness in Washington is good, too. The scenery is great. But, if I had to choose between the Cascades and the Sierra I could stay happy south of the Cascades for the rest of my days.

Try out www.NWhikers.net (forum) or the www.wta.org (Washington Trails Association)

Both led us to Sauk Mountain Trail and the Ptarmigan Ridge Trail (on Mt Baker, near Mt Shuksan)

Having been to the Cascades this summer after summiting Mount Whitney, I am still hooked on Whitney.

willhike

I have hiked in the Cascades for almost 30 years and there are some wonderful hikes, including a number of day hikes ON TRAILS to mountain tops with outstanding views. Many of those trails seem to me steeper than in the Sierra. They climb about 1,000 feet per mile for 4 miles and provide a good workout. I hiked Rock Creek to Mono Pass as preparation for Whitney and then Whitney and while there is the elevation itself to content with, the trails seem to have a more gentle grade which my knees appreciate on the downhill.

But I have to say that the Sierra are my favorite range. There is the granite, miles and miles of it. There are some granite areas here with the brightness of the Sierra but not as much. As far as expansive, I have rarely gazed over anything as vast as the view from Piute Pass westward. But I guess views of glaciers is not a bad substitute for Granite.

The suggestion to visit the WTA site is a good one. I will say that our hiking season will be ending pretty soon as snows will make trails harder to follow and sloppy. But this weekend was perfect and Fall colors are still pretty good in many places.

Try Mt Dickerman, Granite Mt, Hidden Lake Peaks, Sahale Arm, Thorp Mt, Silver Peak, Rampart Ridge and hikes around the Glacier Peak Wilderness and Mt Baker.