Roundtrip: 10 miles
Elev. Gain: 3,500ft
Difficulty: Easy trail-hike

This stretch of land is a particularly spectacular part of Washington. You traverse the north side of a long valley with Ruth creek running below you. Waterfalls tumble down above you and the North Face of Mt. Sefrit across the valley. Gentle Ruth Mountain comes into view after about a mile.

The trail climbs only moderately for the first 2.5 miles, then switchbacks take you up to Hannegan Pass (4.0 miles). Once at the pass one can:
1) turn right and climb Ruth and/or Icy,
2) continue straight towards Mt. Challenger , the Northern Pickets, and Ross Lake
3) turn left and climb Hannegan peak.

From the pass it is one mile and 1,200ft higher to reach the top of Hannegan Peak.

From the summit you are given generous views of Ruth Mountain, Shuksan , the Silesia and Chilliwack Valleys, Goat Mountain, Mt. Sefrit, the Picket Range, Mt. Blum, the border peaks and more. Good campsites are available .5 miles before the pass at Hannegan Camp, and on top of Hannegan Peak.

Hannegan Peak is part of the ancient Hannegan Caldera which erupted ~4 million years ago. The mountain is eroding at a very rapid rate as you can see in the photos. Rhyolite can be found on the upper slopes. From the summit look Southeast and you can invision the overall size of the crater.

The Hannegan Pass Trail deserves as much praise as Hannegan peak itself. A mile beyond Hannegan Pass you enter the North Cascades National Park. Once in the park a network of trails will take you North to Canada or East to Whatcom Pass and eventually to Ross Lake. Look in any guide book, this stretch will recieve the highest possible rating.

Getting There

Take exit 255, Sunset/ Mt. Baker Highway, off I-5
Travel East 31 miles to the town of Glacier
From the Glacier Public Service Center, travel east on Mt. Baker Highway 542 for 12.5 miles
Turn LEFT on Forest Service Road #32 (Hannegan Rd). Follow Road #32 for 5 miles. Stay left at forks in the road (ie. don't go to the Nooksack Cirque), if pass the Goat Mountain Trailhead you're on the right track
The trailhead and parking area are located at the end of the road

A toilet and dispersed campsites are provided at the trailhead.

Current Road Status

Red Tape

A Northwest Forest Pass is required for each vehicle parked at the Hannegan Pass trailhead $5 per day or $30 for an annual pass.

Where to get PARKING PASSES:

SHELL GAS STATION: in Maple Falls, is on the right (heading East). They make good pretzels too. ---NO GASOLINE AVAILABLE BEYOND THIS POINT!!!--- no gas between Maple Falls and Deming (heading West).

GLACIER PUBLIC RANGER STATION: (360) 599-2714

Closed for the season after Oct. 11

Bellingham REI: (360) 647-8955
400 36th St Bellingham. Take a left off exit 252 (WWU-Bill McDonald Parkway), another left, it's in the Haggen lot.

When To Climb

Depending on conditions Hannegan Peak can be climbed all year. Hannegan Road is buried under snow for much of winter, but the road is an easy ski and melts out early, check the snow level to get a rough idea how far you can get up the road.

There is significant avalanche hazard here in winter, as well as wet slab avalanche hazards in spring. The long traverse is South facing and offers continuous avalanche exposure. You'll climb up the South facing aspect of Hannegan peak but for a time you'll be on an East Facing aspect. Make sure conditions on these slopes are good before you leave and check conditions as you go.

Be extra carefull when crossing creeks and drainages on snow bridges. Generally from early may until October is the best time to climb.

Camping

There are nice car-camping sites and facilties at the trailhead.
Campsites are available .5 miles before Hannegan Pass at Hannegan Camp (backcountry toilet here and at Hannegan Pass)
There is also a campsite on top of Hannegan Peak as well as a few other bivy spots.

Mountain Conditions

Check Snow Level
Check Avalanche Report
Check Weather Forecast
...More Info
Current Road Status

Remember that these are general warnings and forecast, always use good judgement and retreat if necessary.

You will be almost exclusively on South Facing Slopes for this climb, with one brief East facing slope.

Gear Needed

In summer this is just a hike but you may encounter some snow, an Ice Axe or at least trekking poles are a good idea before July. Misquitos are bad up until late july at which point you will encounter millions of flies, bring bug dope!!!

In winter or spring snowshoes and or crampons may be necessary. Trekking poles and an Ice axe are mandatory, especially if you decide to do Ruth Mountain instead. There are some slopes that would be suspect in avalanche conditions so keep that in mind, a shovel, beacon, and probe wouldn't hurt. This route is easier to follow than others in the winter given that it is straight and open so wands probably aren't necessary. You won't encounter any glaciers, so leave the crevasse gear at home.

Images



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