2025 Trip
A trip to the North Cascades where we climbed Desolation Peak, caught a fish for lunch, and worried about our friend's brain lesions.
Day One: Hike in, acquire boat, setup camp.
Day Two: Boat tour of the lake, catch fish, cook fish, eat fish.
Day Three: Climb Desolation Peak, meet Jim Henterly, climb back down again.
9.4 miles round trip
4,470 feet
6,085 feet
Strenuous
The trail gains 4,470 feet over 4.7 miles from the boat dock (1,615 ft) to the summit (6,085 ft). The grade is consistently steep with minimal switchbacks. This trail is inaccessible by road—reaching the trailhead requires either an 18-mile approach hike along the East Bank Trail or water transport across Ross Lake.
We utilized the Ross Lake Resort boat rental service, which significantly reduced the approach and allowed us to establish a base camp at May Creek and day-hike to the summit.
Mile 0.0 — Boat Dock (1,615 ft): Trail begins with immediate, steep ascent through Douglas-fir and western hemlock forest.
Mile 2.0 — Creek Crossing (3,200 ft): Critical water source. This is the only reliable water on the trail. We found it dry in September and relied on what we brought from the lake.
Mile 3.5 — Treeline (4,800 ft): Forest opens to alpine exposure. Views of Ross Lake, Picket Range, and Jack Mountain emerge.
Mile 3.8 — Desolation Camp Junction (5,600 ft): Signed spur to Desolation Camp (0.4 miles below summit). No water at camp.
Mile 4.7 — Summit (6,085 ft): Historic fire lookout built in 1932. 360-degree views of Hozomeen, Jack, Crater, Prophet, Spickard, Baker, and Shuksan.
The Desolation Peak Lookout is a simple L-4 ground cabin built in 1932. When we summited, Jim Henterly was staffing the lookout. He gave us water—which we desperately needed after the smoke-choked climb—and told stories about his years working fire lookouts in the North Cascades.
Small-world moment: his daughter works in the same field as one of my companions. He also does illustration work, and when we mentioned that my other companion and I had written a children's book together, he was genuinely interested. Thoughtful and kind.
A few days after we returned home, the Seattle Times published an article about Jim and his work watching the changing patterns of wildfire seasons from these remote peaks. At the time we met him, he was just a generous stranger at the end of a hard climb, offering water and conversation.
Jack Kerouac spent sixty-three days at Desolation Peak in the summer of 1956 as a fire lookout. He was 34, already the author of The Town and the City and the yet-unpublished On the Road. His journals from that summer became source material for Desolation Angels (1965) and portions of The Dharma Bums (1958).
As someone who loves literature and the Pacific Northwest, this was a pilgrimage I'd dreamed about for years. The Kerouac connection was a big draw—walking the same trail he walked, seeing the same lookout where he wrestled with solitude and enlightenment and the gap between philosophy and lived experience.
The L-4 ground cabin dates to 1932 and has been maintained ever since. Though technology has evolved, human eyes on remote peaks remain part of the wildfire detection network, particularly during extreme fire danger. Jim Henterly and other lookouts continue this tradition.
Heat & Exposure: No shade above mile 3.5. The final 1.2 miles to summit are fully exposed. Start early.
Water Scarcity: Creek at mile 2.0 is your only source. Bring minimum 3 liters per person. We found the creek dry and relied on lake water.
Wildlife: Black bears common throughout Ross Lake corridor. Secure all food. Bear canisters required at Desolation Camp.
Smoke conditions change everything. What should have been a strenuous but manageable hike became something that required real determination due to wildfire smoke settling in the valley.
Allow more time than expected. We're functionally fit hikers and this trail pushed our limits. The climb took us four hours to summit, three hours down.
The descent is harder than the ascent. Loose rock and steep grades demand attention. Don't underestimate the wear on knees and ankles coming down 4,470 feet.