Trip Date: September 9, 2023
Lundin Peak Day Climb
Commonwealth Basin
Red Pass
Lundin Peak (6057′)
Trip Report Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Snoqualmie Range
Area: Alpine Lakes Wilderness
Starting & Ending Point: Snoqualmie Pass / PCT-Northbound Trailhead off Interstate-90 at Exit 52 (Elev. 3000 feet)
Way Points: Commonwealth Basin Trail junction & Commonweath Basin & Commonwealth Creek crossing & Red Pass & First Horn & First Notch & Second Horn & Second Notch & Lundin Peak summit (trail hike & rock scramble & rock climb)
Summit: Lundin Peak (rock scramble & rock climb via Southeast Ridge)
Approximate Stats: 9.6 miles traveled; 3500 feet gained & lost; 5.9 hours up; 4.0 hours down.
Related Post
Lundin Peak via Commonwealth Basin—South Couloir—West Ridge – July 2008
Full Trip Report
Lundin Peak is a small but craggy landform situated between Snoqualmie Mountain and Red Mountain closely north of Snoqualmie Pass. As viewed from Interstate-90 and other southern vantage points, it comprises three separate rock horns that get successively bulkier and taller from right to left (east to west). The westernmost horn is the true 6057-foot summit.
Lundin Peak makes a worthy climbing objective thanks to easy access, interesting navigation, and solid rock. Incidentally, Cascade Alpine Guide states that the mountain is composed of granodiorite associated with the Snoqualmie Batholith, but I believe this is incorrect; the texture and bedding are actually consistent with the volcanic rhyolites and andesites and meta-sedimentary rocks found at other nearby peaks such as Mt. Thomson and Guye Peak.
There are at least three non-technical or semi-technical routes on Lundin Peak, all accessible from Interstate-90. These include the full southeast ridge, which is approached from Red Pass (probably the most popular route); the upper southeast ridge, which is approached from Lundin Basin via the south chute (a good early-season route); and the west ridge, which can be approached from Lundin Basin or Snoqualmie Mountain (often combined with a descent of either southeast ridge route for an adventurous summit traverse).
On a sunny Saturday, Kerry and Cody joined Eileen and me for a climb of Lundin Peak’s full southeast ridge route. We started at the Snoqualmie Pass trailhead and hiked northward on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Although this approach is a bit longer than the old Commonwealth Basin Trail, it does provide an excellent view of the whole massif.
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We veered off the PCT at 2½ miles and dropped into Commonwealth Basin, then hiked up to 5400-foot Red Pass on the old Cascade Crest Trail. From there, we continued on a climber’s path that leads up the southeast ridge of Lundin Peak and ends at the top of the first horn. The second and third horns are clearly visible to the northwest, but the route ahead is not obvious. It is necessary to descend an inconspicuous dihedral that angles down to the west for about 40 feet. Given the exposure and Class 3+ difficulty of this dihedral, we elected to down-climb on a fixed rope with prusik slings.
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At the bottom of the dihedral, an easy ledge system led us northward into a notch between the first and second horns. We scrambled through this notch and followed another path that angles upward around the northeastern side of the second horn.
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Upon reaching the top of the second horn, we could look across a deeper notch at the third (summit) horn. It’s a pretty daunting sight from here! To continue, we scrambled westerly down a well-broken Class 2-3 face that ends in the deep notch. This face is approximately 150 feet tall but only moderately exposed.
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From the deep notch, another series of bootpaths and blocky ramps leads uphill alongside the southeastern ridge of the third horn. When the terrain became too steep for easy scrambling, we stopped and roped up.
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The final ascent involves one full pitch (or two short pitches) of Class 4 or 5.0 climbing up the peak’s southeastern ridge crest, which is only moderately steep but very exposed. Fortunately, the rock quality is quite good, and there are three bolts with large (and I mean comically large) aluminum hangers installed at convenient locations. As such, this could almost be considered an “alpine sport route”!
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Humor aside, a memorial plaque has been permanently placed on the ridge crest, indicating that the bolts were installed after a climber died in a fall from here many decades ago. We were certainly more than happy to make use of these safety features.
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After passing a rappel station at the top of the ridge, we unroped and made a short scramble to the summit (5.9 hours + 3250 feet from TH). Much of the wildfire smoke that had hung over the Cascades in recent weeks was now gone, so views were good in all directions. Most impressive are the rugged Snoqualmie Mountains extending off to the northeast.
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There is a second memorial plaque located on the summit, honoring yet another climber who fell to his death from this peak decades ago. Both plaques serve as a sober reminder to not take the terrain too lightly. Many people regard this climb to be merely a Class 3 scramble and therefore complete the entire ascent and descent without a rope. However, the route is highly exposed at several locations, leaving unroped scramblers with no margin for error.
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We began our descent by scrambling over to the established rappel station and then performing one 25-meter rappel down the upper ridge. This put us back on the Class 2 ledges beneath the southeastern ridge crest.
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From the deep ridge notch, we retraced our up-route back over the two ridge horns. Upon reaching Red Pass, we made the 4½-mile hike down to the trailhead, stopping to chat with two amiable hikers (Ann and Lorey) in Commonwealth Basin. We reached our car in early evening (4.0 hours + 250 feet from summit).
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Route Map & Profile & Sketch
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Photo Gallery
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