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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 October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:51 a.m., the sun rises at 7:22 a.m. and sets at 6:17 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:49 p.m. (PDT) — 10 h 55 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 5:34 p.m. — 44 min before sunset.

Nearby trails