16 Little Beaver Creek
An extended trip from Ross Lake to Whatcom Pass, 17.5 miles one way.
Best season: Mid-June to late October to Stillwell Camp; mid-July to mid-October beyond.
Elevation gain: 4,146 feet.
Elevation loss: 560 feet.
Maximum elevation: 5,206 feet at Whatcom Pass.
Topo maps: Hozomeen Mountain, Mount Redoubt, Mount Spickard, Mount Challenger; Mount Challenger, Ross Lake.
Jurisdiction: Ross Lake National Recreation Area, North Cascades National Park.
Finding the trailhead: The trail begins at Little Beaver Camp, which can be reached only by boat. The end of the trail can be reached via a 17-mile hike from the Nooksack Valley. A 24-mile trek from Ross Dam reaches the trail near its midpoint.
The Hike
This long bottomland trek leads from a remote spot on Ross Lake to a high alpine pass at the edge of the Chilliwack River watershed. The eastern terminus of the trail can be reached only by boat. This wilderness route through the remote Little Beaver country features miles of unbroken old-growth forest that opens up in a basin deep in the mountains where waterfalls plunge from melting glaciers and hurtle to the valley floor. Trails leading over Beaver Pass and down Brushy Creek offer options for even longer backcountry expeditions. Spring runoff may result in dangerous stream crossings on this trail during early summer.
From Little Beaver Camp, the trail skirts northward above the shore of Ross Lake. Landslides along the lakeshore have created broad openings that allow views of Jack Mountain to the south and Hozomeen Mountain above the ridgetop across the lake. The path soon begins to zigzag up the hillside, gaining altitude to avoid the gorge at the mouth of Little Beaver Creek. The Douglas fir savannah on these arid slopes is maintained by rapid evaporation and frequent ground fires.
As the trail turns the corner to enter the Little Beaver drainage, hikers get superb views of Jack Mountain, with the Nohokomeen Glacier crowning its north face. As the path runs westward, the distant views are replaced by heavy undergrowth and stands of young conifers. This regenerating forest soon gives way to a climax coniferous forest that is for many visitors the highlight of the Little Beaver trek. Dominated by western red cedar, Douglas fir, and western hemlock, this rich and varied forest is underlain by a diverse array of mosses, ferns, and woodland flowers. The stand replaces itself one tree at a time: When a dead or dying tree falls to the forest floor, it creates an opening in the canopy that allows sufficient sunlight for new seedlings to take root and grow skyward. Though the stand is of indeterminate age, one 4-foot-diameter Douglas fir that fell here was more than five hundred years old.
After some distance, the trail passes fallen boulders that have broken free from the stark cliffs that line the valley. A verdant carpet of moss has grown over the boulders, lending an ancient feel to the landscape. After a long trek through the forest, the path crosses a second talus slope, then runs out onto the bottoms where Perry Creek enters the valley. This stream was named for Bill Perry, an early-day muleskinner. A shelter rests in the midst of the towering cedars, with campsites along the sluggish, green waters of Little Beaver Creek. The trail then crosses the many channels of Perry Creek via an assortment of footlogs and shallow fords.
The trek next carries the traveler along the edge of the Little Beaver floodplain, which is now a primordial swamp of devil’s club, skunk cabbage, and other water-loving plants. The trail passes through damp glades where ferns grow taller than a man’s head, then returns to the forest. It emerges at mile 7.0, where a brushy avalanche slope reveals the nameless crags that rise above the head of Mist Creek. Dense shrubbery makes route-finding a challenge, and stinging nettles and hidden boulders keep things lively.
The trail crosses several such avalanche paths before encountering a broad bottomland. After a considerable woodland trek, you will reach a logjam that has been modified to bridge Redoubt Creek. On the far side, the path enters a maze of enormous boulders, covered in moss, with mighty conifers growing from their surfaces. This boulder garden soon gives way to a monotonous forest of young hemlock that lasts as far as the junction with the Big Beaver Trail. Travelers bound for Stillwell Camp should turn left at this junction; the path ahead leads to Whatcom Pass. The trail continues through the forest, breaking out at an avalanche track where Pass Creek plummets down a steep cliff. Whatcom Peak can be glimpsed ahead.
The trail reaches the Twin Rocks Camps in a grove of hemlocks that faces a rugged ridge. Farther up the valley, the forest gives way to brushfields choked with salmonberry, alder, and other tanglesome delights. Route-finding can be difficult here if the trail has not been brushed out recently. To the south, dozens of breathtaking waterfalls course down the face of the cliff, and Whatcom Peak is an inspiring presence at the head of the valley.
The path ultimately finds its way to one last grove of giant cedars, which marks the beginning of the ascent to Whatcom Pass. The trail snakes upward at a steady pace, climbing the sheer north wall of the valley. Stands of old mountain hemlocks alternate with talus slopes and small patches of brush. There are outstanding views throughout the ascent: Mount Challenger rises just across the valley, with Challenger Glacier forming a broad apron below it. There are long views down the valley and up the steep, nameless peaks that flank it. The U-shaped cross section of the valley betrays its glacial origins: an enormous valley glacier once gouged this deep channel that runs all the way to the Skagit Valley. The Challenger Glacier may represent a minor remnant of that great river of ice.
Near the top of the grade, the trail enters an alpine vale of heather and chuckling brooks. This defile leads to the summit of Whatcom Pass. Whatcom Peak towers above the pass, with the long arm of Easy Ridge stretching northward above the valley of Brushy Creek. There is a backcountry camp just beyond the pass, and the trail that descends from this point to the Chilliwack Valley is discussed in Hike 33.
Miles and Directions
0.0Little Beaver Camp.
3.2Trail leaves Ross Lake NRA and enters North Cascades National Park.
4.5Perry Creek Camp and shelter.
4.6Trail crosses Perry Creek.
9.3Trail crosses Redoubt Creek.
10.4Junction with Big Beaver Trail. Bear right for Whatcom Pass. (Left leads to Stillwell Camp.)
13.9Twin Rocks hiker camp.
14.0Twin Rocks horse camp.
15.6Trail begins final grade to Whatcom Pass.
17.5Whatcom Pass. Whatcom Pass Trail descends into Brush Creek valley.