North Fork Sauk Trail

North Fork Sauk Trail (#649) is a long, point-to-point out-and-back day-and-back route in Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness, built around an uphill slog that eventually meets the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) near 6,000 feet.

Start by pushing through old-growth cedar and hemlock; after about half a mile you’re in Glacier Peak Wilderness. The first stretch rolls more gradually, then the character shifts into a sustained climb.

In the mid-hike basecamp zone, you’ll pass the Red Creek area around 2,800 feet and then reach the former Mackinaw Shelter site around 2,950 feet (with established campsites nearby).

From Mackinaw Shelter, the climb becomes relentless: the trail gains roughly 3,000 feet in about three miles via continuous switchbacks. Above the trees, views broaden and alpine terrain opens up.

At about 8.4 miles you reach the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) around 2000-level elevation on the route’s ascent profile; the PCT junction area is also where camping is commonly found on the bench below White Pass.

If you keep going on the PCT northward, the route description ties into the Glacier Peak Meadows area near Red Pass, while southbound there’s a return option that brings you back down the steep switchback system to the lower trail corridor.

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