Dragontail Peak — Backbone Ridge
🚐 Join the caravan
Dragontail's classic IV 5.9 buttress above Colchuck Lake — a long mixed alpine ridge with simul sections and a stellar 'Fin' finale (5.8 first pitch, harder second, spectacular last). ~18h car-to-car. Late season preferred: the standard snowfield turns to hard ice early.
🚗 Getting there & comms
Trailhead: Stuart Lake / Colchuck Lake TH
~8 mi up Icicle Creek Rd from Leavenworth; NW Forest Pass; lot fills pre-dawn
⛽ Last services: Leavenworth, WA
📶 Cell signal: Spotty/none — carry inReach
🧗 Routes
🎒 Gear & food
Rack: Standard alpine rack incl. a #4 and #6 for the wide sections + nuts
Ropes: 70m recommended (two 70m rappels to descend; 60m possible but tighter)
🪢 Skills needed
- simul-climbing
- multi-pitch trad
- wide crack
- snow/ice travel
- alpine routefinding
⏰ Start & altitude
🌄 Timing: Pre-dawn — it's an ~18h car-to-car day
✅ Before you leave the trailhead
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🏕️ Land · camp · water · permits
🪧 Land & passes: Alpine Lakes Wilderness / Enchantments — NW Forest Pass
Camp:
- Colchuck Lake (overnight = Enchantments permit lottery)
💧 Water: Colchuck Lake · snowmelt (treat)
📋 Permits: Day climbing needs no permit; overnight Enchantments permits are a lottery
⚠️ Hazards · fire · emergency
- Late-season snowfield turns to hard ice — crampons/axe early season
- Loose rock at the rappel anchors
- Serious & committing — multiple injuries reported here
- Afternoon thunderstorms
🪂 Bail / retreat: Two 70m rappels from rock anchors near the summit, then off — avoid the late-season ice slope
🆘 Emergency contacts
- Chelan County Sheriff (Leavenworth) — SAR 509-667-6851 — Call 911 first if you have signal
🌤️ Live conditions
Auto-updated 20h ago · °F · tap a link for the mountain-specific picture ↓
👀 In the field
Tap any for ID, edibility & first-aid.
📍 Nearby & other interest
- Serpentine Arête
- Colchuck Peak
- Aasgard Pass
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