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Mt. Stuart — West Ridge

Stuart Range, WA III 5.6 Alpine Trad II 5.6 / ~2,300 ft / long day alpine Complex routefinding · early-season snow · long

🚐 Join the caravan

🥾 Ingalls Lake from Teanaway (S, recommended) or Stuart Lake TH (N, longer) ❄️ Ice axe in early season for approach + Cascadian descent

The moderate classic on the second-highest non-volcanic peak in Washington — II 5.6, ~2,300 ft. Long and complex: mostly 4th/low-5th scrambling and simul-climbing with a 5.6 crux near the summit, and very easy to wander onto harder terrain. Approach via Ingalls Lake (Teanaway TH, recommended) or Stuart Lake TH. Descend the Cascadian Couloir.

🚗 Getting there & comms

Trailhead: Esmeralda Basin / Ingalls Lake TH (Teanaway)

End of Teanaway Rd; NW Forest Pass

⛽ Last services: Cle Elum or Leavenworth, WA

📶 Cell signal: Spotty; the summit can catch LTE — carry inReach

🧗 Routes

West RidgeII 5.6
~6 short (<100 ft) pitches from the West Ridge Notch; crux 5.6 last pitch; much can be simuled; fixed gear where it steepens
Complete North Ridge (w/ Gendarme)IV 5.9
The big committing ~3,000-ft line — for a harder day

🎒 Gear & food

Rack: Small rack to 2 inches; ice axe early season

Ropes: Single 60m

🪢 Skills needed

  • alpine routefinding
  • simul-climbing
  • snow travel (early season)
  • scrambling

⏰ Start & altitude

🌄 Timing: Pre-dawn — it's a long, complex day with lots of route-finding

✅ Before you leave the trailhead

Auto-built from this dossier — ticks save on this device.

🏕️ Land · camp · water · permits

🪧 Land & passes: Alpine Lakes Wilderness (Okanogan-Wenatchee NF) — NW Forest Pass to park

Camp:

  • Ingalls Lake area / Stuart Pass (dispersed)

💧 Water: Ingalls Creek/Lake · snowmelt (treat)

📋 Permits: No climbing permit; NW Forest Pass for parking; free self-issue wilderness permit at the TH

⚠️ Hazards · fire · emergency

  • Complex routefinding — easy to get onto harder ground
  • Early-season snow on approach + Cascadian descent (ice axe)
  • Long day / afternoon thunderstorms
  • Rockfall in the Cascadian Couloir

🪂 Bail / retreat: Descend the Cascadian Couloir (steep snow/scree) to the south — route-find carefully back toward the approach

🆘 Emergency contacts

  • Kittitas / Chelan County Sheriff — SAR (peak straddles the county line) — Call 911 for SAR

🌤️ Live conditions

🟢 Send window: Sat
Fri
☁️
40° 27°
Sat
☀️
45° 30°
Sun
☁️
62° 36°
Mon
☁️
59° 37°
Tue
☁️
47° 29°

Auto-updated 20h ago · °F · tap a link for the mountain-specific picture ↓

⛰️ Mountain Forecast

👀 In the field

Tap any for ID, edibility & first-aid.

📍 Nearby & other interest

  • Ingalls Peak
  • Sherpa Peak
  • The Enchantments

💬 Comments

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