Mount Dickerman–arduous climb to sweeping alpine views

August 28, 2019 |

Quick Facts:
Location: Mountain Loop Highway near Granite Falls

Land Agency: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Roundtrip: 8.6 miles

High Point: 5,723 feet

Elevation gain: 3,900 feet

Difficulty: difficult

Green Trails Map: Mountain Loop Highway No. 111SX

Contact: Darrington Ranger District: Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest

Notes: Northwest Forest Pass required

Access: From Granite Falls follow the Mountain Loop Highway east for 27 miles to trailhead.

Good to know: dog-friendly, outstanding views, huckleberries, Practice Leave No Trace Principles , Don’t be a Surface Pooper, Can the Music!

Yes, this is one of the most popular trails on the Mountain Loop Highway—yet it’s not an easy hike. You’ll climb nearly 4,000 vertical feet in a little more than four miles to reach the 5,723-foot summit. But take one look from the open summit and you’ll soon see why so many Northwest hikers rank Mount Dickerman among their favorites. You’ll see too why it is one of my 100 Classic Hikes of Washington. You’ll be treated to a feast of jaw-slacking views that include snow and ice draped Glacier Peak (highest peak in Snohomish County) and across the valley to Big Four Mountain and Del Campo Peak which leap right out at you.

Start your journey to the heights of Dickerman from low in the valley in a dank dark forest. After two miles of continuous clambering through thick timber and beside and around big mossy ledges, the grade finally eases. A thinning forest canopy soon welcomes daylight while the forest floor begins hosting bushes that come September burst with blueberries and huckleberries. Continue climbing cresting Dickerman’s west shoulder. Then begin winding through hemlock groves and heather meadows for the last big grunt to the summit

Pause to catch your breath and inhale stunning views south to Big Four, Del Campo and the craggy Monte Cristo peaks. After gaining 3,900 feet in 4.3 miles reach the open summit. Sheer cliffs drop from the north face, so keep dogs, children, and the easily-spooked from venturing too far. Directly below is the Perry Creek Basin watched over by Mount Forgotten and Stillaguamish Peak. Look north to Mounts Baker and White Chuck; east to Pugh, Sloan and Glacier; south to Rainier peeking above a wall of jagged summits; and west to Pilchuck and Three Fingers. Amazing views and worth every calorie expended reaching them!