Ptarmigan Mountains

A mountainous sub-region within the North-Central Washington Cascades, bounded by Downey Creek, South Fork Cascade River, North Fork Cascade River, Cascade Pass, Stehekin River, South Fork Agnes Creek, Suiattle Pass, Miners Creek, and Suiattle River. Notable landforms include Johannesburg Mountain, Mt. Formidable, Old Guard Peak, Spire Point, Dome Peak, Agnes Mountain, Sitting Bull Mountain, and Miners Ridge.

The steep, blocky summit of Agnes Mountain stands against a blue sky in the Glacier Peak WIlderness

Agnes Mtn via Agnes Creek—South Ridge—Northwest Face + Gunsight Peak Attempt (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · July 8, 2013

Trip Date: July 3-8, 2013 Agnes Mountain & Gunsight Peak Climbing Trip Lake Chelan / Stehekin LandingStehekin ...

Agnes Mountain (8115 ft) Favorite Trips Gunsight Peak, Main (8198 ft) North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains The Ptarmigan Pten The Super Eight

Three mountain climbers traverse Chikamin Glacier en route to Gunsight Peak in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

Gunsight Peak via West Face + Sinister Peak via Southwest Gully—West Ridge (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · July 4, 2017

Trip Date: June 29 – July 4, 2017 Gunsight Peak & Sinister Peak Climbing Trip Downey CreekBachelor ...

Favorite Trips Gunsight Peak, Main (8198 ft) North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains Sinister Peak (8440+/8439 ft) The Ptarmigan Pten

Spider Mountain with Kool-Aid Lake with mountain terrain and linguring snow patches as seen from Cache Col

Spider Mtn via Cache Col—Kool-Aid Lake—S/F Col—Southeast Gully (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · September 19, 2018

Trip Date: September 17-19, 2018 Spider Mountain Climbing Trip Cascade Pass Mix-up Arm Cache Col ...

Favorite Trips North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains Spider Mountain (8300/8312 ft) The Ptarmigan Pten

Morning sun casts a warm light on Gunsight Peak & Dome Peak viewed from White Rock Lakes during the Ptarmigan Traverse in the North Cascades, WA.

Ptarmigan Traverse: Cascade River to Suiattle River via Kool-Aid Lake—Yang Yang Lakes—White Rock Lakes + Dome Peak (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · August 14, 2021

Trip Date: August 6-14, 2021 Ptarmigan Traverse: Cascade River to Suiattle River Cascade PassCache ColKool-Aid Lake ...

Dome Peak (8920/8921 ft) Family Trips Favorite Trips North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains Ptarmigan Traverse (WA) The Landmark Twelve The Ptarmigan Pten The Tall Twelve Traverses & Loops (Alpine)

Bath Lakes Traverse: Miners Pass to Sulphur Pass via Canyon Lake + Bannock Mtn (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · August 21, 2025

Trip Date: August 16-21, 2025 Bath Lakes Traverse: Miners Pass to Sulphur Pass Suiattle River ValleyMiners Ridge ...

Favorite Trips Lookout Sites North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains Traverses & Loops (Alpine)

Alpenglow On East Face Of Johannesburg Mountain with linguring snow patches and scree in North Cascades National Park

Johannesburg Mtn via Dougs Direct—East Face—East Ridge (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · August 20, 2016

Trip Date: August 18-20, 2016 Johannesburg Mountain Climbing Trip Cascade PassMixup ArmNorth Mixup Notch aka Doug’s ...

Difficult 10 Climbs Favorite Trips Johannesburg Mountain (8200 ft) North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains The Ptarmigan Pten

Dome Peak dominates the view from Hoch Joch Spitz in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

Downey Creek Loop: Bench Lake to Cub Lake via White Rock Lakes + Mt Bruseth + Sentinel Peak + Spire Point + Dome Peak (Suiattle & Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · July 6, 2005

Trip Date: July 2-6, 2005 Downey Creek Loop: Goat Creek to South Cascade Glacier to Bachelor Creek Bench ...

Bruseth, Mt (7220 ft) Dome Peak (8920/8921 ft) Favorite Trips North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains Sentinel Peak (8261 ft) Spire Point (8264 ft) Suiattle Mountains The Landmark Twelve The Ptarmigan Pten The Suiattle Five The Tall Twelve Traverses & Loops (Alpine)

multiple rock pinnacles of Sitting Bull Mountain stand on a ridge above green heather meadows in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

Sitting Bull Mtn via South Face + Plummer Mtn via South Slope + Image Lake Loop (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · September 18, 2017

Trip Date: September 15-18, 2017 Sitting Bull Mountain Climbing Trip & Image Lake Loop: Miners Ridge to Miners Pass ...

Favorite Trips North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains

Alpenglow casts orange light on massive alpine face of Mt Formidable

Mt Formidable via Cache Col—Spider-Form Col—South Face—East Ridge (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · September 4, 2011

Trip Date: September 2-4, 2011 Mt. Formidable Climbing Trip Cascade Pass Mixup ArmCache Col Kool-Aid ...

Formidable, Mt (8325/8353 ft) North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains The Ptarmigan Pten

Morning sun lights up Gunsight Peak and Chikamin Glacier and Dome Peak from camp at White Rock Lakes during the Ptarmigan Traverse

Ptarmigan Traverse: Cascade River to Suiattle River via Kool-Aid Lake—Yang Yang Lakes—White Rock Lakes + Magic Mtn (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · September 14, 1981

Trip Date: September 9-14, 1981 Ptarmigan Traverse: Cascade River to Suiattle River Cascade PassCache ColKool-Aid Lake ...

North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains Ptarmigan Traverse (WA) Traverses & Loops (Alpine)

A mountain climber stands in front of Dome Peak in the North Cascades

Dome Peak via Downey Creek—Cub Lake—Dome Glacier—Northwest Ridge (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · September 18, 1994

Trip Date: September 16-18, 1994 Dome Peak Climbing Trip Downey Creek ValleyBachelor MeadowsCub LakeItswoot Pass ...

Dome Peak (8920/8921 ft) North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains The Landmark Twelve The Ptarmigan Pten The Tall Twelve

A climbing route is shown on the broad south face of Johannesburg Mountain

Johannesburg Mtn Attempt via Southeast Arete + Southwest JoBurg Loop (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Jim Brisbine · September 23, 2012

Trip Date: September 21-23, 2012 Johannesburg Mountain Attempt & Southwest JoBurg Loop: South Johannesburg Creek to Pincer Creek ...

Difficult 10 Climbs Johannesburg Mountain (8200 ft) North-Central WA Cascades Ptarmigan Mountains The Ptarmigan Pten

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Ptarmigan Mountains

Agnes Mtn via Agnes Creek—South Ridge—Northwest Face + Gunsight Peak Attempt (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Gunsight Peak via West Face + Sinister Peak via Southwest Gully—West Ridge (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Spider Mtn via Cache Col—Kool-Aid Lake—S/F Col—Southeast Gully (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Ptarmigan Traverse: Cascade River to Suiattle River via Kool-Aid Lake—Yang Yang Lakes—White Rock Lakes + Dome Peak (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Bath Lakes Traverse: Miners Pass to Sulphur Pass via Canyon Lake + Bannock Mtn (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Johannesburg Mtn via Dougs Direct—East Face—East Ridge (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Downey Creek Loop: Bench Lake to Cub Lake via White Rock Lakes + Mt Bruseth + Sentinel Peak + Spire Point + Dome Peak (Suiattle & Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Sitting Bull Mtn via South Face + Plummer Mtn via South Slope + Image Lake Loop (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Mt Formidable via Cache Col—Spider-Form Col—South Face—East Ridge (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Ptarmigan Traverse: Cascade River to Suiattle River via Kool-Aid Lake—Yang Yang Lakes—White Rock Lakes + Magic Mtn (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Dome Peak via Downey Creek—Cub Lake—Dome Glacier—Northwest Ridge (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Johannesburg Mtn Attempt via Southeast Arete + Southwest JoBurg Loop (Ptarmigan Mountains, WA)

Ashley Gorge Via Ferrata Climbs: The Outlaw + Abduction + The Pump + The Soup + Toothy Grin (Uinta Range, UT)

Guye Peak: North Summit + Middle Summit + South Summit via Alpental Slope—Cave Ridge (Snoquamlie Range, WA)

McAlester–Rainbow Loop via McAlester Pass—Rainbow Creek—Rainbow Pass—Bridge Creek + McAlester Mtn (North Stehekin Mountains, WA)

Hoodoo Pass Loop via Horsehead Pass—Libby-Crater Saddle + Mt Bigelow + Crater Peak (Sawtooth Mountains, WA)

Amabilis Mtn Bike Loop via Amabilis Beacon + Amabilis Peak (Keechelus Mountains, WA)

Three Fingers Mtn: South Peak / Lookout Via Meadow Mtn—Goat Flats—Tin Can Gap—Southwest Side (West Sauk Mountains, WA)

Defiance Trail Traverse: Thompson Pass to Hemlock Pass via Mason Pass—Pratt Pass + Mt Defiance (Lower Snoqualmie Range, WA)

LaCrosse Pass Loop via Enchanted Valley—O’Neil Pass—Duckabush River—Dosewallips River—Anderson Pass (Olympic Mountains, WA)

Granite Mtn via Hyas Lake—Tuck Lake—Robin Lakes—Northwest Ridge (Upper Icicle Mountains, WA)

Glacier Basin Climbing Reconn: Monte Cristo Peak attempt + Cadet Peak attempt (Monte Cristo Mountains, WA)