I am wondering if anyone has advice on the quickest, easiest approach to almost a dog pass for potential climbs of Logan, Clyde, and Blackfoot? I tried getting there last year by way of the Blackfoot Glacier Basin, and found the approach to be difficult and time consuming with difficult stream crossings. I have heard of a route up the Virginia Creek drainage. Is this route easier? Or is there a better way altogether? Or maybe just go later in the summer when stream crossings are lower. Thanks. I don't want to mess up this approach two years in a row!

I think the approach across the Jackson and Blackfoot Basins is the best and certainly the most scenic.

Cross the outlet of Jackson Glacier in the braided section close to the rock slabs.

Another big stream comes from Blackfoot basin and can be easily cross well above the lakes. Once you're up that high follow the high traverse across Blackfoot Basin as described in the Climbers Guide by J. Gordon Edwards. The high route avoids the stream crossings down in the lower slabs.

There are several other stream crossings but they have always been manageable for me.

I'd also suggest going no earlier than the end of July.

Thank you for the input. Those basins are very scenic. We tried around July 20 so that was maybe at least part of the problem. I guess I'll give the Blackfoot Basin another go this summer.

The Jackson/Blackfoot Glacier Basin is awesome and worth exploring on it's merits, however, the fastest, most direct way way to get to Almost-A-Dog Pass is from the Virginia Falls trail. Hike to the turnoff for the Virginia Falls overlook then leave the trail and aim straight for the northern end of the long ridge that includes Dusty Star Mountain.DO NOT TRY TO FOLLOW THE CREEK. Bushwhack up the ridge to the base of the cliffs. Then traverse the base of those cliffs through meadows, aiming for the waterfall at the head of the Virginia Creek Basin. You're basically just hiking the western edge of the little valley. The footing is uneven but it's much easier than crawling over all the moraines in the glacier basin. Once you get close to the waterfall, there is an excellent game trail that takes you to the area above the falls. From there, the rest of the way to the pass is self explanatory. Wearing a day-pack, I got to Almost-A-Dog Pass in five hours using that route in 2012. To compare, it took me 8 hours to get there traversing the glacier basin in 2011. The upper Virginia Falls basin is one of the most idyllic parts of the whole park, and no one ever goes up there because the Climber's Guide scares people off. If you make the mistake of following the creek throught the bottom of the valley it will not go well. Your goal with this route is to traverse high to the west.

One thing to consider, my friends who have backpacked that route said that it was quite a bit more difficult in a heavy pack, mostly due to the awkward sidehill footing before you get to the game trail. But it's still a lot faster than going all the way around to Gunsight Lake and then across the whole glacier basin. The Virginia Falls approach is also the best way to climb Citadel Mountain, which is one of my two or three favorite summits in the park.

Feel free to PM me or send me a friend request on facebook. I have quite a bit of experience in that part of the park and I love babbling on and on about it. I've even got some picture of the area that I may get around to posting this winter.

Drew,

If you decide to use the Virginia Falls approach, your first objective when you leave the trail is aim for the base of the arete on the far right as pictured above. Ignore the urge to head directly towards the head of the valley and instead just focus on getting the bushwhacking over with. It's not bad, it took me about a hour from when I left the trail to get through the forest. It's really the crux of the route. Once you get to the base of the cliffs, the rest of the way will be self-evident. If you go up there early in the summer, you will be slowed down a bit by having to traverse around snow drifts, but they shrink as the summer goes on.

Like I said, it's awesome up there. It's worth the effort just to get up to the upper falls at the head of the valley.

-Rory