Windy Pass

Windy Pass sits at the far end of the Eightmile Lake corridor, well past the crowds that flock to the lower lake. The route starts on the popular Eightmile Lake trail, climbs through a recovering burn zone with increasingly open views, then drops to Lake Caroline before continuing through subalpine meadows to the pass at 7,200 feet. Most people turn around at Eightmile or Caroline, so the trail beyond gets progressively quieter.

Lake Caroline makes a natural rest stop or overnight camp, with several sites and a privy. From there, gentle switchbacks through wildflower meadows lead to the pass itself. A side trip to a saddle above Caroline opens up sweeping panoramas of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness that justify the extra effort. The section between Little Eightmile and Caroline is notoriously brushy, sometimes shoulder-high, and can feel like bushwhacking even though you are on trail.

Beyond Windy Pass to the west, the trail deteriorates into a much less traveled, brushier route dropping steeply on gravelly switchbacks toward Trout Creek. This is remote backcountry in every sense. Overnight permits are required May 15 through October 31 for the stretch between Eightmile and Windy Pass, so plan ahead.