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Washington trails · Ptarmigan Traverse

Ptarmigan Traverse

A 20.3-mile point-to-point in Washington, with 5,353 ft of climbing. Reaches Cache Col and other glacier/lake/pass destinations.

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Length
20.3 mi
Elevation gain
5,353 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
60%
Steepest mile
+1,943 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
13.9 mi
Shape
point-to-point
Surface
Ground
Bikes
no
Horses
no

Elevation profile

2,441 – 7,679 ft135791113151719

The climbing leans toward the first third: 48% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 6.8. It gives back about 9,024 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Ptarmigan Traverse

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T4 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.
Sections reported faint or hard to follow — carry a map or download this area offline.

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:48 a.m., the sun rises at 6:20 a.m. and sets at 7:48 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:20 p.m. (PDT) — 13 h 28 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 20.3-mile route takes roughly 10 h 11 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:32 p.m. — 3 h 16 min before sunset.

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