Alpine Lakes Ski Traverse

The Alpine Lakes Ski Traverse covers 70 miles across the Alpine Lakes Wilderness over seven days, linking Hyas Lake trailhead near Salmon La Sac to Gold Creek at Interstate 90. The route strings together the major peaks of the wilderness, including Mount Daniel, Mount Hinman, Overcoat Peak, and Chikamin Peak, crossing glaciers, ridgelines, and turquoise lake basins along the way.

From Hyas Lake, the route climbs Mount Daniel as its first summit, then trends southwest through Peggy's Pond and Pea Soup Lake toward Mount Hinman and the Lynch Glacier. The middle section traverses through Foss Lake, La Bon Lakes, Chain Lakes, and Lake Williams before dropping to the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. The final push crosses Overcoat Peak and Chikamin Peak, navigating the Chimney Rock col to reach Gold Creek.

The terrain is relentlessly varied: glaciated slopes, cliff bands that require scouting, exposed ridge traverses, and river valley crossings at the low points between peaks. Whiteout conditions on the glaciers make navigation difficult; cliff sections demand careful route-finding since the terrain below is riddled with drop-offs. Seven days of food, fuel, and camping gear mean heavy packs on every climb.

This is one of the defining ski traverses of the Washington Cascades. It demands advanced navigation, glacier travel skills, and the physical capacity to sustain a week of loaded climbing across complex alpine terrain. The reward is a continuous high route through the most iconic peaks and lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, from a perspective that summer hikers on valley trails never see.