Table Mountain via Ptarmigan Ridge

This tour loops around Table Mountain via Ptarmigan Ridge, starting and finishing at the Heather Meadows area near the Mount Baker Ski Area. The route spends nearly its entire length above treeline, traversing open alpine terrain with Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan commanding the skyline in opposite directions. At 10 miles and 3,800 feet of gain, the circumnavigation covers serious ground while staying on relatively moderate slope angles.

From the Heather Meadows trailhead, the route climbs via either the Artist Point road or Bagley Lakes basin. The Artist Point approach follows a gentle skin track through rolling terrain past overnight snowshoe camps. Once on Ptarmigan Ridge, the route traverses beneath Table Mountain's south face, crosses above Iceberg Lake, and descends a gully before returning along the ridge above Bagley Lakes to close the loop.

Most slopes stay under 25 degrees, keeping the tour in lower-consequence avalanche terrain. The descent off Ptarmigan Ridge often holds better snow than the sun-affected south-facing aspects. Glide cracks appear on steeper terrain features and require route-finding around them. Stream crossings cut deep chasms into the snowpack later in the season, so locating snow bridges or going around adds time. The high point reaches approximately 5,400 feet with Table Mountain's flat-topped massif as a constant landmark for navigation.