Ski Touring around Mowich Lake in Mount Rainier National Park during winter had always been an interest to me. Knowing there was great terrain surrounding it we decided to do a camping mission. The plan was for Scott and I to leave after work on Thursday and skin up to the lake, spending three nights in the area. Once at camp we would ride the surrounding area until Sunday afternoon then head back to the car.

A Long Night Skinning up the Mowich Lake Road

We drove up the Mowich Lake Road as far as Scott’s Subaru could make it. Once we hit the snowpack it was the end of the road for us. It was P.M. and we were still around 10 miles away from where we wanted to camp. It was decided that we would push up the road as far as possible via headlamp hoping to make it all the way to the lake.

Heading up about 5 miles we were already exhausted. We made our way up to an area that was the summer bathroom and was sheltered. Being late in the night and with another 5 miles to go we decided to set up camp and get some rest.

Day 2 and Still Not up at Mowich Lake

The next morning we woke up and had to laugh. We had chosen a ridiculous camping spot right next to a bathroom. We didn’t make it up to Mowich Lake and we still had a ways to go.

With all the new snow that had fallen recently we were breaking trail in a foot of new snow. It was a slog making the 5 miles up the road falling the summer trail. Once arriving at Mowich Lake we thought it would be a good idea to camp at the Ranger Cabin. Heading over to we found it was buried in the snowpack. We didn’t know how deep it was and started digging finally finding the front porch 10 feet down.

Both the approach and the digging had taken an excruciating amount of time. It was already getting late in the day and our chance for touring slowly dwindled away. Knowing that any ski touring around Mowich Lake took a minimum of a few hours we made the call to set up camp. We would get rest and the next day we would finally do some ski touring.

Day 3 and Hoping this is the Day to go Ski Touring Around Mowich Lake

It was day 3 and there was still no ski touring yet. We woke up to cloudy skies with the occasional sun spot but this was our day to go ski touring around Mowich Lake so we packed our bags and were off.

The area our attention was focused on was the terrain around Knapsack Pass. From there we could see how conditions were and get a feel of how safe the snowpack was. Skinning across Mowich lake the trail breaking was slow but soon we were making our way to the upper slopes.

Would it be Another Bad Weather Day?

Once in the alpine below Knapsack Pass we were greeted with white out conditions. It was day 3 and it was starting to feel like this was a failed plan. We decided we would keep pushing to the low col and once there make a decision whether to bail or not.

As we climbed the weather started to improve. We wondered if it was just a sucker hole but if worst comes to worst we would just follow our skin track back down.

Once on Knapsack Pass the clouds started lifting. We were happy that we decided to head up but were wondering if the good weather was just temporary. Behind us was our route from Mowich Lake and we were happy with the ground we had covered.

Looking to the East we considered our options. We could either head out to Mount Pleasant or stick around Fay Peak.

Making it up to Knapsack Pass

The weather was looking a little bit better around the Pleasant area so we decided to head that way. Looking at the North face of Mount Pleasant it seemed like it would be the perfect place to test snow conditions.

We did a small run off the East side of Knapsack Pass before arriving in Mist Park. Though the snow had been horrible for skinning it was great for riding.

The weather was still holding up as we skinned South through Mist Park.

Looking to the South we could see Mount Rainier off in the distance. It was a flat light day but that made the views really dramatic.

Soon enough we were skinning up the North face of Mount Pleasant. From the moment we started skinning up I could tell that the snow was good. This was going to be a great powder run.

Once on the summit of Pleasant Peak I had a great view of Spray Park. The Flett Glacier Headwall looked to be loaded with new snow. There was not enough time to head into the zone so we would have to stick with our original plan.

Soon enough Scott was skinning up the final ridge to Mount Pleasant. The weather seemed to be holding out and we could barely see the Moraine Park area in the distance.

Snowboarding Pleasant Peak

After a few minutes taking in the view it was finally time for our first run while ski touring around Mowich Lake. We needed to play it safe with the new snow so Scott dropped in first and once at the bottom he stopped to snap shots.

From his turns I could tell that the snow was really good. He hadn’t caused any snow to move so I felt a bit better about avalanche conditions. Once he was in a safe spot I dropped in to find snow blowing up with every turn.

Looking back up we were happy with our tracks on a blank canvas. The snow was as good as we could hope for and the weather hadn’t turned for the worse. While not the biggest line it was a success.

Heading Over to Fay Peak

Feeling a bit better with how our day was going we made our way back to Knapsack Pass. The weather was still holding up and the line off of Fay Peak grabbed our attention.

Not wanting to traverse across the open face we decided to head up to the ridge and climb across. It would be a much safer route as there was quite a bit of new snow. With boards in hand we carefully made our way up the steep rocky slope to the mellower ridge above.

After a bit of exhausting and steep climbing we finally made our way to the ridge. From here it would be more traversing to get over to the summit.

Finally we were climbing the last small pitch to the summit. It was coated with rime ice and once up and over we were standing on top of the North bowl of Fay Peak.

Descending Fay Peak

Below us we could tell that the area was decently wind loaded so we spotted safe spots to stop at. One at a time we dropped in with Scott heading down first.

The snow was stable as he rode down the convex slope. His ski tracks left behind deep trenches as he made his way down linking turns 10 feet at a time.

Making his way to a small ridge it was time for me to drop in. By now I was sure that the skiing of Fay Peak was going to be good. From the first turn I was happy with our decision to ride down this line.

The line went quick as we rode towards the valley. Though we were riding in a flat light we just let gravity take over. Near the bottom of the line we regrouped for the final descent.

Heading Back to Camp After Ski Touring Around Mowich Lake

Picking up speed we were able to make our way through the flat and ride all the way down to Mowich Lake. From top to bottom the snow was great and we had finally accomplished our goal, ski touring around Mowich Lake.

Once at the lake it was time to skin back to camp as the sun was starting to set. It had been a fun day and we felt like we made the most out of the weather. Climbing down our hole in the snowpack we were back at camp and ready to rest. Our plan for the next day was still up in the air.

Day 4 and the Exit from Mowich Lake

After a full night of resting we had wanted to do some touring the next day as well but visibility was horrible. By now it was nuking snow and we had a 10 mile slog back to the car. The Skin back was brutal in the foot deep wet heavy snow. We took breaks every so often for the first four miles with our old track buried in new snow. When we made it to our first nights camping spot some snowshoers had blazed a trail the rest of the way.

Soon we were back at the car with only 30 minutes of sunlight to spare. It had been a rough trip but we had some great turns on Fay Peak and Mount Pleasant. All in all it was a fun trip ski touring around Mowich Lake.

In Conclusion

Though we weren’t able to ski tour as much as we wanted we were able to see the terrain up close. The potential for ski touring around Mowich Lake is abundant. It is well worth spending some time up there if you are willing to deal with a long approach.

Thank you for reading trip out to Mowich Lake. If you want to see more ski tours within Mount Rainier Backcountry check out this link