Name: Colchuck Glacier
Rating: 5.0

Colchuck Glacier

Conditions

Unknown

History

Getting forecast...

Avalanche risk for Jan 20, 2019: Considerable

Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely.

Full forecast for NWAC: WA Cascades East, Central — Brought to you by Northwest Avalanche Center

Avy tweets from @nwacus

“A long, sustained run in a broad gully from high Colchuck to alpine lake.”

— Sam Bedell

Driving Directions GPX File

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

Need to Know

The lake is not always frozen solid on warm days. The approach is long and can be frustrating with tricky icy, up-and-down trail for 7-8 miles if the gate is closed.

The approach is by a well-marked trail (still used significantly in winter) to Colchuck Lake. The skin track can go anywhere up the gully.

Description

A beautiful sustained run in a north facing bowl/gully that can hold great powder. The run starts from the Dragontail-Colchuck col with an amazing view south to Rainier and Adams. From there, you just follow the snow covered remnants of the Colchuck Glacier down to the north towards Colchuck Lake. There are no trees on this run so avalanche assessment is a must.

Contacts

Land Manager: USFS - Okanogan & Wenatchee National Forest Office

Full Details

Trail Ratings

5.0 from 1 vote

#1

in North Cascades

#62

Overall

5.0 from 1 vote

5 Star		100%
4 Star		0%
3 Star		0%
2 Star		0%
1 Star		0%

Rankings

51 Views Last Month

1,253 Since Mar 19, 2015

Difficult

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Photos

The Colchuck Glacier is the obvious snow slope…

Looking down the Colchuck Glacier from the Drag…

0.9 Miles 1.4 Kilometers Ski Line	0' 0 m Ascent -2,349' -716 m Descent
51% Avg Slope (27°) 64% Max Slope (33°)	8,010' 2,441 m High 5,660' 1,725 m Low

Colchuck Glacier

0.9 Miles 1.4 Kilometers

Ski Line

0' 0 m

-2,349' -716 m

51%

64%

8,010' 2,441 m

5,660' 1,725 m

Shared By Sam Bedell

Conditions