Route: Vesper Peak (Mountain Loop Highway)

Mountain Information:

• Name: Vesper Peak
• Region:  North Cascades (Mountain Loop Highway)
• Summit Elevation: 6214 ft / 1894 m
• SummitPost Link: http://www.summitpost.org/vesper-peak/150416
• Peakbagger Link: http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1805
• Mountaineers Link: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/vesper-peak-6214
• WTA Link:  http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/vesper-peak

Driving Directions:

• Trailhead: Sunrise Mine Trailhead
• Co-ordinates: 48.0295755,-121.5085599
• Address: Sunrise Mine Trailhead, NF-4065, Granite Falls, WA 98252
• Elevation:  2100 ft
• Pass:  Northwest Forest Pass
• Directions 
• SummitPost: "From Seattle take I-5 North to Exit 194. Follow Highway 2 East for 2.3 miles, stay in left lane, go to Lake Stevens Highway 204 East, in 2.2 miles take left (north) on Highway 9 to Lake Stevens, in 1.7 miles take right (east) on Highway 92 to Granite Falls, in 8.4 miles turn left (north) to Mountain Loop Highway. Follow for about 30 miles to the Sunrise Mine Road on the right. Road dead ends in about 1 mile where parking is limited to one side of the road. Leave room for others to turn around."
• Weather forecast
• Mountain Forecast
• National Weather Service
• Avalanche danger forecast:  
• Northwest Avalanche Center

Route Information: Headless Pass

• Gain: 4,000 ft
• Round Trip:  8 miles
• Difficulty: Strenuous 3, Technical 3, Scramble
• Season:Spring, Summer, Fall
• Source: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/vesper-peak-6214
• Existing tracks: 
• Peakbagger October 24, 2015: gpx file
• SummitPost:  gpx file, route map
• Caltopo Route: https://caltopo.com/m/GSGH

Misc 

• Videos: 
• Climbing Vesper Peak, Jun 11, 2015
• Vesper Peak, Aug 26, 2015
• Other Links: 
• WTA trip report 2017-07-30
• WTA trip report 2017-07-23
• hikingwithmybrother.com
• Mountaineers trip report Oct 17, 2015
• musthikemusteat.com
• NWHikers.net trip report 2016-06-04
• hiketohike.com
• Notes: 
• Stream crossings
• Good water flow at the Vesper Lake outlet creek
• While FS road 4065 is officially closed, it is passable all the way to the trailhead.
• Bring ice axes and micro-spikes.  The first 3 or 4 inches of snow was soft.  However, there was an ice layer just beneath the soft snow.  Be prepared to kick steps the last 500ft of the ascent.
• There is a rock climb route on the north face as described in this report. More route information on this report about Ragged Edge route (5.7, 700').
  

• Topo maps: CalTopo map.