Miles: 22 miles RT
Elevation Gain/Highest:
Map: Green Trails Benchmark No 144, Halfmile’s PCT Maps Section K Page 2-3
My favorite places to stop post hike with friends are: Grilla Bites, Route 2 Taproom and Grazing Place, Good Brewing Company, River House Cafe, Espresso Chalet, Gustav’s, Yodelin’s Broth Company, South, Dan’s Food Market, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
Hike Details:
The PCT Section K to Pear Lake via the Smithbrook Trail is a gateway into the Glacier Peak Wilderness from a forest road near Stevens Pass. It includes a couple of lakes great for camping and a stunning walk over Grizzly Peak with views of Glacier, Columbia, Kulshan (Mount Baker) and even Tahoma (Mount Rainier) down to the south. Late July is perfect for wildflowers but early season could mean some leftover snowfields on steep slopes.
This is my adopted section of the Pacific Crest Trail which I hike annually to scout for trail work later in the season. Sometimes I hike it in the manner described here, sometimes I hike in from Meadow Creek and Fortune Ponds. I have also hiked in from Smithbrook and out via Top Lake. I may be biased but it is one of the best sections of the PCT near Stevens Pass because you can get your PCT fix of beautiful scenery in just a few days with several options for access.
My hikes:
7/26-27/2018
It felt good to get out on my adopted section of trail after only touching a toe last year due to the pandemic. The trailhead was surprisingly empty for a Monday morning, with the number of people enjoying trails near here I had expected more than 3 other cars even at 7am.
My walk up Smithbrook and along the Pacific Crest Trail was quiet. There was a large downed tree over the trail that comes up to my waist, my friend Jim always gets the big ones on his section. I bet he will be up here in a few days to cut it. That brushy section where it opens up to a view of Scrabble was still holding from my brushing job a few years back but I know a crew will take a whack at it and fix the tread come Labor Day weekend. There a just a few ripe blueberries to nibble on and Queen’s Cup is abundant.
I availed myself of the toilet at Lake Janus around 9:15am. I could hear a few voices echoing up from the lake but the sites closest to the trail were empty. I cross the muddy outlet of Janus and begin the switchbacks up to the ridge towards Grizzly Peak. Here I start a leapfrogging day with 4 women loaded with heavy packs bound for Stehekin as I began making waypoints for logs across the trail. There are a few that have been here for at least 5 years due to their complexity. Not bad for hikers, not so good for stock.
Those lovely views of Glacier, Labyrinth, Rock, Dirty Face and the Entiat Mountain Range (along with the scars along Fall and Shoofly Mountains) greet me as the trail levels out around quarter to 11. I take a quick break and then continue along anticipating views down to Glasses and Heather Lakes.
I reach the exposed switchbacks below Grizzly Peak at 12:15pm and decide to stop for a snack as I know the bugs will be vicious up on the meadows. There also isn’t really a good place to stop that doesn’t involve sitting on meadow flora unless you step into some trees near the beginning of the peak’s elongated length.
Oh, but those views! I take my time walking along with the lush lupine, aster, corn lily, heather and cow’s parsley blanketing the landscape and gaze over at Columbia, Sloan and Fortune Mountain on my left. I can even see Peach Lake glistening in the sun.
From here I drop down on the other side and finish the western slope, cross over to the east side where there are a few trickles of water over the trail, the first since the stream between Janus and the ridge. Luckily I was still good with the water I had brought from the car. I thought about another break at Wenatchee Pass but it was 2pm already and I wanted to get to Pear Lake before it started to fill up with hikers.
I arrived at the junction of the PCT and Meadow Creek Trail (which is still only marked for the PCT since losing its Meadow Creek sign) and turned left. I had counted 23 logs over the trail, thankfully none of them hazardous. The first large campsite area at Pear was empty but I made my way back to see if my favorite spots was available near the second privy. Thankfully it was! There was just one more group of 2 at the lake tucked back in some trees to the east of me.
I had a great evening hanging in my hammock avoiding mosquitos (which weren’t horrible) and watching the lake fill up with other hikers (8 groups in total). It was the busiest I have ever seen it and now I know how the meadow area near the lake gets worn. I am not sure if the tp in the trees is because folks had an bathroom emergency but there really is a second privy to the right of the last campsite, albeit ill-placed as you have to walk across a meadow to get there.
My walk out the next day was uneventful and there was quite a bit of traffic from thru hikers, section hikers and day hikers. I’m not surprised, this is a pretty fantastic section of the PCT!
7/12-13/2018
This was a trip out on my adopted section of the Pacific Crest Trail to prepare a report on conditions for trail work this season (trees down, water sources, and snow). I headed up from the Smithbrook TH to scout my adopted section of the PCT from Janus to Pear Lake for trail work in a few weeks to see what we would be dealing with this year.
This is my 5th time on this section of the PCT and it just gets more beautiful every time (I may be a little biased). Despite all the snow and mud, the trek was not bad, just a little slower than usual. I started up Wednesday morning about 7:30 am as the only car in the parking lot. The register told me everyone the week before had gone to Valhalla (and that is a lot of everyone). Wahoo, first to go north!
Smithbrook was looking okay except for two large trees down and drainage issues. A few patches of snow at about 4600ft but there were plenty of muddy tracks to follow and then it was bare and dry to Union Gap and the junction with the PCT.
There are a few good sized logs (2.5 and 3 feet diameter) down on the way to Janus Lake but no snow until you get to the lake. There is, also, a good size root ball blocking the trail about .6 miles from the junction. The large creek is running well and beautiful. Plenty of little side streams on the trail and mud. That brushy slope about 1.25 miles from the junction is just as nasty as always, I hope to take care of that this summer.
Camping at Janus appeared to be dried out but the toilet sign was under a few feet of snow. I didn’t stay there but a PCT hiker I spoke to claimed it was quite buggy. The inlet crossing on the far side before you head up away from the lake if flowing pretty well and all but one rock was dry leaving a big jump for rock hopping. Did I mention all the mud?
There are just a few logs down on the way up to the crest above Janus, including one we cut a step in last year and only one tree/rootball combo you really have to negotiate. The trail is dry up the switchbacks until the crest (1.6 miles from Janus). I say that because although there is a place to wonder off to a small creek, I wouldn’t bother because there is plenty of water flowing on the trail once you turn at the saddle and follow the eastern slope towards Grizzly Peak.
Here is, also, where the snow patches begin. Nothing serious, but from here to Grizzly Peak there is still plenty of snow on the trail. There seems to be enough traffic that there are footsteps to follow for most of the time but with this warm weather they are melting fast. All the beauties were out: Glacier, Labyrinth, Jove, Kodak, Scrabble and Mount David.
The trail snakes back and forth over the Cascade Crest and most of the saddles had snow so keep an eye out for where the trail takes up on the other side. The greener slopes are just getting started so there weren’t a lot of wildflowers or berries but those trusty avalanche lilies and pink flowers of salmonberries were in abundance.
I walked out on snow to the overlook for Glasses where any residual snow was up on the scree surrounding the lake. The last set switchbacks up to Grizzly Peak were dry and Rainier, Summit Chief and Iron Cap were out. The campsites leading up to Grizzly are a bit wet still but the one near the summit was dry.
There were quite a few snow patches on Grizzly but again, plenty of tracks. You could even do a short glissade on the northern side where it switchbacks down and then across the meadows. Still a bit early for most wildflowers that make this a gorgeous scene. Columbia and Sloan stood proud and of course, Glacier.
Most of the sketchiest snow patches are from Grizzly down to Wenatchee Pass, kicking steps and poles are helpful. The slope is at a greater angle and snow covers more above and below the trail. PCT hikers headed south were taking advantage of having microspikes and a few boughs hang down to provide veggie belay. The campsite below the crest is dry but the trail here is arun with water and mud where it isn’t covered with snow.
Wenatchee Pass was dry but there is a log across the trail to the stock camp that would make it pretty difficult to access. If you didn’t fill your bottle with all the water down from the crest, there is a creek flowing next to the trail on the way to the junction with Top Lake if you don’t mind a bit of a steep bank. There is one good size tree along this section but climbing over is not a big deal. Your next water isn’t until either Pear or Top Lake depending on your destination.
No real snow from Wenatchee Pass until you pass the junction with Top and start up to Pear. It won’t be anything worse than what you have already done on the slopes. There is a good size patch on the saddle before you turn to those last few switchbacks and the junction with Meadow Creek Trail that takes you to Pear.
There is some snow still on the trail down to the campsites. The first large campsite is mostly melted out but wet. Maybe room for 3 tents and a few hammocks. The second campsite on the other end is dry but if you want to continue up the Meadow Creek trail to the ridge above expect plenty of snow and a need to know where it turns to the left to reach the trail (not obvious). The ridge was dry and bare but snow continued on the other side. Bugs were not bad at the lake but horrible up the scree field. Go figure.
I will note here that the new toilet for the first campsite has seen a little damage and sits at quite an angle sloping downward. The lid is very hard to open so I played with it a bit to loosen it (but not too much as it leans forward) and left it open while I was there to dry it out the seat from winter. Also, it is quite visible from the trail but luckily most hikers don’t look up.
All and all a great overnight and can’t wait to be back out in a few weeks! Try and stay on the snow as much as possible when navigating the meadows and remember that boots and trailrunners dry while delicate heather takes years to come back. I even saw a tent pitched in the meadow at Grizzly Peak with a perfectly good campsite empty just a few hundred feet away. Plan you trip so that won’t be you! 🙂
Directions: Head east on Hwy 2 from Monroe for 58 miles to Stevens Pass, and turn north onto Road 6700 (Smithbrook). Look for where the highway divides and there is a left turn for FS 6700. Be cautious crossing the westbound lanes of Hwy 2. Once on FS 6700, follow the road up about 2.6 miles to a TH parking lot on the left. A NW Forest Pass is needed and there is no privy. You can go before hand by stopping at the privy at the pass by the southern TH for the PCT.
For more hikes in this area, visit my HWY 2 page!
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