Route: Vesper Peak - Ragged Edge/North Face (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
• http://www.summitpost.org/the-ragged-edge/922191
• Peakbagger Link:  
• http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1805
• Mountaineers Links:  
• https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/vesper-peak-6214
• https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/vesper-peak-n-face
• Mountain Project Link:
• https://www.mountainproject.com/route/111130499/ragged-edge
• 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: 4,115 ft
• Round Trip:  8 miles
• Activity: Intermediate Alpine
• Difficulty: Trad, Alpine, 6 pitches, 5.7
• Season: June, July, August, September
• Source: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/vesper-peak-n-face
• Existing tracks: 
• Peakbagger July 21, 2017: gpx file
• Caltopo Route: https://caltopo.com/m/89HG

 

 

 Misc 

• Videos: 
• Ragged Edge (5.7), Vesper Peak Jul 30, 2017
• Vesper Peak Ragged Edge Aug 20, 2017
• Vesper Peak - Ragged Edge Oct 29, 2017
• Ragged Edge, Vesper Peak August 13, 2017
• Vesper Peak Jun 27, 2012

• Mountaineers trip reports
• Intermediate Alpine Climb - Vesper Peak/North Face Jul 21, 2017
• CascadeClimbers trip reports
• 9/12/2015
• 7/3/2015
• 6/5/2015
• 9/20/2014
• 8/18/2013

• Nwhikers.net trip reports

• 7/29/15

• Other Links: 
• WTA trip report 2016-08-07
• VESPER Peak 2016-06-20
• Vesper Peak August 6th, 2015
• Vesper Peak August 20, 2017
• Vesper Peak July 23, 2017
• Vesper Peak 2016/09/12
• Ascent of Vesper Peak on 2017-09-04
• 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.
• The trail fades out as you enter the basin between Vesper and Sperry Peaks. Cross the outlet of the lake and follow an obvious talus ridgeline up to a col between the peaks. The climb is accessed by a ledge system that cuts across the north face of Vesper at about 5800 ft elevation and begins at a small notch overlooking the Vesper Glacier. Allow 3+ hours for the approach.  
• Walk out the ledge on steep exposed heather (snow until mid-late summer?). When you can't walk any further either (A) scramble up over an obvious chockstone formed by a large, thin flake to a belay ledge or (B) as a variation backtrack a bit and figure out an exposed 3rd class traverse down and around the toe of a buttress before scrambling back up to an obvious and clean 5.6 layback crack (better start). The 3rd class slabs at mid-height on the first pitch could easily be accessed after climbing the lower half of the north face as well. 
• Gear: Doubles of .5 - 1, singles of .2 - .4, 2, 3, and a set of small nuts. The route is protected by a mix of gear, bolts, and pins. Pitch 5 required the most gear, as it is very exposed, but takes gear well. Set up gear belays at the top of P1, P3. The rest of the pitches have fixed anchors for belays.
• This is the 5.7 variation that is on the eastern half of the North Face and the direct start begins at a large flake. Ragged Edges was retro-bolted in some places in August of 2013 and there are still some old pitons along the route. Generally done in 6 pitches.