Trip Date: September 3-5, 2021
Kaleetan Peak Climbing Trip
Denny Creek
Hemlock Pass
Melakwa Lake
Melakwa Basin
Point 5700 aka Kaleetan Knoll
Kaleetan Peak (6259 ft)
Trip Report Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Snoqualmie Range
Area: Alpine Lakes Wilderness
Starting & Ending Point: Denny Creek Road #58/#5830 junction (Elev. 2200 feet)
Way Points: South Fork Snoqualmie River Bridge & Original Denny Creek Trailhead (road walk); Denny Creek & Slide Rock & Hemlock Pass & Melakwa Lake (trail hike)
Campsite: Melakwa Lake
Sidetrip 1: Upper Melakwa Lake & Melakwa Basin (trail hike & off-trail hike)
Sidetrip 2: Kaleetan Knoll & Kaleetan Peak summit (trail hike & rock scramble)
Summit: Kaleetan Peak (rock scramble via South Ridge—South Face)
Approximate Stats: 14 miles traveled; 5200 feet gained & lost.
Related Posts
>>> Kaleetan Peak via South Ridge–South Face – July 14, 2013
>>> Kaleetan Peak via Southeast Chute—South Face – August 7, 2005
>>> Kaleetan Peak via South Ridge—South Face – November 3, 2002
Full Trip Report
Eileen and I teamed up with Erika and Bryan for an overnight climbing trip to Kaleetan Peak in the Snoqualmie Range. Because our trip landed on Labor Day Weekend, Eileen and I chose to head out on Friday morning in order to ensure that we could obtain a campsite at popular Melakwa Lake. Erika and Bryan had to work on Friday, so they planned to meet us in camp the following day.
Day 1: Denny Creek Road to Melakwa Lake + Melakwa Basin
By 9:30am, when Eileen and I arrived at Denny Creek Road, all available parking lots were full, thereby forcing us to park on the roadway shoulder behind dozens of other cars. It has become obvious to me over the past few years that summer weekends now begin on Friday morning; if you really want to get a jump start, better leave on Thursday!
We passed through the roadway gate at the South Fork Snoqualmie River Bridge and walked up Spur Road #5830 to the original Denny Creek Trailhead. For some reason, the parking lot here has been closed, which compounds the parking problems; hopefully, this is a short-term situation. We continued hiking up Denny Creek Trail to Hemlock Pass and then over to Melakwa Lake. Camp was established at a roomy site near the eastern shore in early afternoon (3.6 hours + 2400 from car).
Having several afternoon hours available, Eileen and I took a ½-mile sidetrip up-valley, past Upper Melakwa Lake to Melakwa Basin. The sharp summit of Kaleetan Peak, tomorrow’s objective, protruded into a smoky sky at the valley head.
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Day 2: Kaleetan Peak Summit Climb
Eileen and I awoke to fairly clear skies and enjoyed a leisurely morning in camp while waiting for Erika and Bryan to arrive. They rolled in at 10:30am, and we hung out together for a couple hours before heading out to Kaleetan Peak in early afternoon.
From the lake outlet, we followed a well-defined climbers path steeply uphill to the northwest. This path took us over 5700-foot Kaleetan Knoll and then along the western side of Kaleetan Peak’s rocky south ridge. The rugged west face of Chair Peak—named for its likeness to a big armchair when viewed from this angle—stood directly across the valley from us.
Our climber’s path ended at the base of the peak’s south face. This 600-foot face is fairly steep and daunting, but a series of zigzagging ledges provides a reasonable Class 2-3 ascent route. However, there is much loose rock, so be careful! We reached the summit in mid-afternoon (2.5 hours + 2000 feet from camp) along with several other parties. Views were limited by residual wildfire smoke in the atmosphere, but we could see most of the rugged Snoqualmie Mountains stretching out to the northeast.
We retraced our ascent route back to camp (2.2 hours + 350 feet from summit) with enough time for a dip in Melakwa Lake before dinner. It was now Saturday evening of Labor Day Weekend, and backpackers were arriving in large numbers. By nightfall, all established campsites—and a few improbable campsites—were occupied.
Day 3: Melakwa Lake to Denny Creek Road
Our foursome had another leisurely morning in camp while a steady stream of day-hikers wandered through the lake basin. Erika and Bryan planned to spend another night here, so they settled into their two-person hammock for a relaxing Sunday. Eileen and I packed up and headed out at 11:00am, passing a hundred or so hikers on the trail before reaching our car just after 2:00pm (3.1 hours + 200 feet from camp). Not surprisingly, there were many arriving day-hikers eager to take our parking spot.
Route Maps & Profile
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Photo Gallery
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