Golden Horn, Tower Mountain, & Mount Hardy
Cutthroat Pass Trailhead ⚲ Okanogan National Forest, Hwy 20, Washington
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Two Bulger Peaks: Tower Mountain (8,444’) & Golden Horn (8,366’) and one Top 200 Peak: Mount Hardy 8,080’ situated along the Pacific Crest Trail just east of North Cascades National Park.
I first encountered Tower Mountain, Golden Horn, and Mount Hardy while thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018. At that point, I was just a budding peak bagger, new to Washington State, and completely unaware of the Bulger List. Regardless, these peaks still captured my attention as they stood like giant sentinels over this part of the long trail. I took special note of each peak, remembering its name as we hiked through the final miles of our 5-month trek to Canada. The yellow larches were out back then, and so I knew that Fall would be the right time to coordinate my return visit.
Kayla Reynolds makes her way north along the Pacific Crest Trail in October - the larches in this part of the Okanogan National Forest are pure gold this time of year.
I met up with my friend, Kayla Reynolds, at the Cutthroat Pass/Rainy Pass Trailhead Saturday morning just as the sun was starting to illuminate the early morning darkness. This area is one of the most popular places to visit during Larch season so it is important to be diligent about parking. Situated just east of the Cascade Crest along Highway 20, the Rainy Pass Trailhead is also the starting point for the Maple Pass Loop which in my opinion, competes with the Enchantments as the most visited trail in all of Washington during October. Aware of this, I arrived around 8 pm Friday and even then, I had to deal with a full parking lot (there are two!). I ended up parking alongside the highway which I am not sure is encouraged but worked. If you are unable to find parking you can also start this hike from the Cutthroat Lake Trailhead about 10-15 minutes further east. You will have to travel over Washington Pass to get there and the lot is much smaller, but is usually less popular and more secluded. Both starting points get you to Cutthroat Pass, though starting on the Pacific Crest Trail saves you about 500’ of gain and about a half mile of hiking.
Kayla Reynolds stands in front of Silver Star Mountain at the beautiful Cutthroat Pass, Washington.
Kayla Reynolds makes her way over Cutthroat Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington.
The hike to Cutthroat Pass is one of the best stretches of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington. The many switchbacks make the elevation gain feel minimal and the reward at the top is spectacular. Paired with the beautiful golden larches, this alone is a worthy destination. We stopped for a moment to take in the views of Silver Star Mountain and Big Snagtooth before continuing down the trail. This was my first time retracing these steps since my thru-hike back in 2018 and the nostalgia was in full force.
Pine Pitch Peak lies just off the Pacific Crest Trail and is a seldom climbed scrambling objective that Kayla and I kept on our radar for the end of the trip if we had time.
The sign to split from the Pacific Crest Trail, 0.8 miles to Upper Snowy Lake from here.
At around 7 miles we arrived at Granite Pass and got our first views of Tower Mountain and Golden Horn and an additional 3 miles later we were at the junction for the Snowy Lakes Trail. We followed the meandering trail up the switchbacks through the trees before arriving at Lower Snowy Lake.
Lower Snowy Lake offers plenty of camping opportunities, also, the lake is positioned closer to Tower Mountain which might be beneficial depending on your itinerary, but in my opinion, it has less attractive views of the surrounding area. Golden Horn in the background.
Looking across Upper Snowy Lake towards Tower Mountain in Okanogan National Forest, Washington. We chose to camp in the vicinity of Upper Snowy Lake because it provides the best views of Mount Hardy and surrounding area. The Upper Lake is also closer to Golden Horn.
There are two lakes to choose from, Lower and Upper, both offer great camping opportunities and lovely scenery. Lower Snowy Lake is closer to Tower Mountain and thus demands most of the view; if Tower Mountain is your only destination I would suggest camping here. If you are looking for the best option of the two then I can say with confidence Upper Snowy Lake is the right choice. It is situated higher and so necessitates a bit more hiking to reach but the views of Mount Hardy and the surrounding area far surpass what you can see from the lower lake. Upper Snowy Lake is also closer to Golden Horn. Because Golden Horn was the most technical climb of our weekend agenda, we knew we wanted to tackle it first, so the proximity also deemed it the best choice for us.
Looking back at Tower Mountain (8,444’) and Snowy Lakes from the hike up to Golden Horn (8,366’).
Close up of Tower Mountain (8,444’), one of our objectives for the following day.
The Snowy Lakes, perched high in the Okanogan National Forest are a perfect place for larch spotting in the fall.
Once camp was established we ate lunch and started making our way up towards Golden Horn. From Upper Snowy Lake the route to the upper reaches of the mountain is fairly direct and easy, never harder than class II.
The imposing Golden Horn (8,366’) summit block, Okanogan National Forest, Washington.
Kayla Reynolds takes in the views high up on the shoulder of Golden Horn (8,366’), Okanogan National Forest, Washington.
Kayla Reynolds stands in front of the beautiful summit block of Golden Horn (8,366’), Okanogan National Forest, Washington.
Once we arrived at the shoulder, below the summit block, we encountered a little class III terrain before tucking into a small notch and wrapping around the backside. It is here that the real excitement starts (I led the way and so unfortunately have no photo evidence of the required moves). From the backside, you must step across a gaping void to a horizontal crack in the summit proper. This part is a no-fall zone as the ground now lies a good 25 yards below. When you get your feet situated in the crack you can use poor friction hands to balance yourself as you make a rising traverse upwards. The crack defines your movement until you get yourself high enough to get your hands on top of the summit where you must make one final mantle move to pull yourself up. The moves are not challenging but rather a bit awkward, we did not feel the need to place any gear on our ascent and I am not sure you’d want to as the rock doesn’t facilitate easy placement. If you have members in your party who do not care for the exposure it might be best to let the strongest climber ascend first and then offer a belay from the top; note: the ascent is not vertical but traverses up and to the right so any fall would lead to a swing and poor position for recovery.
Kayla making her way through the hardest moves on Golden Horn (8,366’). Follow the crack with your feet, finding high friction hands until you can grab the top and mantle your way up. Don’t be fooled by the photo, the rock behind looks extra close but is nowhere near the climber, this is exposed with about 30 yards of exposure below.
Kayla making the mantle move to the small summit block ridge of Golden Horn (8,336’), our first Bulger Peak of the trip.
A happy Kayla on top of Golden Horn, peak #88/100 on the Washington Bulger List.
We sign the summit register on Golden Horn before setting up the rappel.
Two climbers sit below the summit, enjoying the views of Mount Hardy and beyond.
The summit of Golden Horn is awesome! Three broken pillars make up a flat ridge no more than 15 square feet in total. We high-fived and then found the Nalgene bottle holding the summit register, signed our names, and took in the view before finding the rappel station tucked in the notch between the summit pillars. The webbing was strong and sufficient but its placement does require you to commit to the rappel before testing its strength as it sits down low in the rock. The descent down the flat 40 or so feet (we utilized my 30m glacier rope which was all we needed) of rock wall was easy and fun but landed us on the west side of the summit - I’m sure you could make a descent from this point back to the shoulder but we chose to climb back up to the notch where we began the summit climb to retrace our steps the way we came.
With the Golden Horn climb behind us we now look to tackle the next peak on the list, Tower Mountain (8,444‘) seen in the background.
Kayla making her way off the shoulder of Golden Horn (8,366’).
Hiker descends from the heights of Golden Horn back to the Snowy Lakes Basin.
Upper Snowy Lake and Lower Snowy lake offer up some unbeatable fall scenery.
Kayla takes a quick rest on the descent back to camp, it was hard not to pause to take in the scenery every once and a while.
The double summit of Black Peak (8,986’) looms in the distance just beyond our camp at Upper Snowy Lake.
We made our way back to camp with no issue, enjoying the high vantage point over the lakes the whole way.
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 4 always makes for a great basecamp in the mountains. Black Peak (8,986’) and Mount Hardy (8,080’) in the background, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington.
Beautiful sunset drops behind Mount Hardy (8,080’) at Upper Snowy Lake in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington.
Back at camp, we cooked dinner and went to bed early knowing we had another big day ahead of us. The weather was calm and mild allowing us to leave the tent open the whole night - per usual, the stars in this part of the state were spectacular.
We chose this campsite for obvious reasons, can’t beat this late night view of Mount Hardy (8,080’).
On a clear night, the stars never disappoint in the North Cascades.
Kayla in the early morning light, Mount Hardy looms in the distance.
We enjoyed a beautiful pre-sunrise color palette across the mountains. Left to right: Mount Logan, Mount Hardy, Eldorado Peak, Mesahchie Peak, Kimtah Peak, and Cosho Peak.
On Sunday, we were up before the sun and quickly made our way down to Lower Snowy Lake where we found the climbers path to Tower Mountain.
Close up of Black Peak and Goode Mountain in the early morning light, North Cascades National Park, Washington.
Looking back at Golden Horn (8,366’) while on the ascent of Tower Mountain.
The cave situated right along the climber’s path up Tower Mountain is a must-see feature. It cuts into the mountain a good 25 yards and is a fun little rest stop along the way.
After a short but strenuous traverse across the talus field below Tower Mountain, we found the ramp which brought us up to the main gully we would be scrambling to the summit. This is where the famous Tower Mountain cave is located which can be seen from a good distance prior to reaching it. We explored the cave briefly but saved the trek to its terminus for our return when we knew we’d enjoy a longer break. We put on our helmets and began the scramble straight up the mountain.
Kayla makes here way up the continuous class III gully straight up Tower Mountain, Mount Hardy and the Ragged Ridge peaks stand in the background.
Although notorious for kitty-litter on top of solid rock, we found the scramble up Tower Mountain to be top-notch fun, generally clear of most the nonsense we read about online.
I had read online that this climb can be a pain due to the kitty litter rock coating the path, neither Kayla nor I came away with this impression and instead found it to be quite enjoyable and clean the entire way up. Before reaching the summit we exited the gully and headed right towards the ridge line. After one short exposed move, we were on the final ridge of the mountain and made the final steps to the enormous summit cairn. What an experience! We were both pumped to make it to the summit. We took turns carefully climbing to the top of the summit cairn - which was sturdy enough to climb but its loose construction did not instill much confidence. We ate a snack, signed the register, and began the descent.
Collin Blunk on the summit of Tower Mountain (8,444’) in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington. Tower Mountain was Bulger Peak 37/100 for Collin.
Kayla Reynolds on the summit of Tower Mountain (8,444’) in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington.
Kayla making her way back down the final ridge of Tower Mountain (8,444’).
After climbing Tower Mountain, we quickly tore down camp and packed up to start making our way to the third and final mountain of the weekend, Mount Hardy (8,080’) seen in the background.
Once we made it back to our camp at Upper Snowy Lake we had to tear down and pack everything up. Unfortunately for the final peak of the trip, we would have to carry all of our gear as Mount Hardy is close but isn’t situated in a convenient location for our exit.
Looking back at Tower Mountain (8,444’) the entire route to the summit is visible from this vantage. Near Methow Pass, Pacific Crest Trail, Washington.
We made our way back down the Snowy Lakes Trail to the Pacific Crest Trail junction, made a right turn, and followed the PCT west towards Methow Pass. Here, we departed from the PCT once again and found the climber’s path that would direct us up towards Mount Hardy.
Kayla makes her way along the climbers path up towards the talus-covered slopes of Mount Hardy (8,080’) a top 200 peak in Washington State.
Photo of the ridge line trek up Mount Hardy (8,080’) in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington.
The climb up Hardy was arduous but never technical, lots of loose rock and talus to navigate but this climb was definitely the easiest of the three. We took an angled line heading towards the summit but realized a bit late that the best move is to get high on the ridge as soon as possible and to follow the cliffside as much as possible.
Climber nears the summit of Mount Hardy (8,080’) in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington. It is best to follow the ridge as much as possible on the ascent and descent.
Kayla Reynolds on the summit of Mount Hardy (8,080’) in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington.
Collin Blunk on the summit of Mount Hardy (8,080’) in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington.
Taking in the magnificent views from the summit of Mount Hardy (8,080’) in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington. Tower Mountain seen across the way, we summited Tower just hours before finding our way to the summit of Mount Hardy.
The shadow of Mount Hardy’s summit in the valley below.
Kayla Reynolds enjoying her time on the summit of Mount Hardy (8,080’) in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington.
The summit of Mount Hardy was incredible and offered the perfect vantage point to sit back and admire the work and distances covered throughout the weekend. It was so satisfying to be on top of this magnificent mountain that I had admired and been in awe of for so many years. We spent more time than we probably should have just lounging on the rocky prow of the summit before beginning the descent. The view was just too good!
Enjoying a great view of Golden Horn (8,366’) back at Methow Pass after our climb of Mount Hardy. Azurite Peak, another Bulger List peak can be seen to the left of Golden Horn.
The valley where the Pacific Crest Trail continues north beyond Methow Pass.
When we made it back down from Mount Hardy we found the tree we had stashed our overnight gear under to save weight and repacked our backpacks. Now that the climbing was done, we now had to hike the 11 miles south along the Pacific Crest Trail back to Rainy Pass where this adventure began.
Methow Pass, the thru-hikers final view point of this magnificent area before they must drop to lower elevations.
Tower Mountain (8,444’) as seen from Granite Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Kayla stands in front of the imposing Tower Mountain (8,444’) while hiking south on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Needles and Pine Pitch Peak in the last light of the day. We wanted to climb Pine Pitch Peak but with darkness setting in and many miles still to cover, we though better of it.
This was one spectacular trip! Everything aligned for a truly perfect experience. Kayla and I had a long hike out to discuss the trip and we both shared the same sentiment for the three peaks we had just climbed: Golden Horn was the most thrilling/exciting, Tower Mountain was the most fun, and Mount Hardy had the best view - all three offered something new and unique for the climber. 10/10 possibly the best larch season peak bagging trip you can experience in Washington State.
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