Squire Creek Trail

Squire Creek Trail (Trail 654) is a hard long-distance hiking route in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, in the Boulder River Wilderness. It’s the kind of hike that turns into “more stream than trail” early on, with steepening grade, deteriorating tread, and intermittent fording/crossing of feeder streams.

The trail’s route-logic is built around climbing from the damaged/changed old access toward the pass. The approach includes walking sections through alder returning after a 2002 massive slide off Jumbo Mountain blocked access about two miles from the trailhead; that slide also shaped what you encounter below the route as Squire Creek runs out.

Around the mid-distance mark, the character shifts into high, rocky terrain: you leave the forest and reach the most dramatic views of Three Fingers, Mt. Bullon, and seldom-seen cliffs of Whitehorse. Upslope, expect steep granite slabs, evidence of rock-fall and avalanche, and late-season snow persisting at the pass.

At Squire Creek Pass, the east-side views open and the west-side view lines up toward Three Fingers; the area also tends to hold huckleberry and heather, with common hiker encounters including mosquitos in season. Late-season conditions can include snow and limited ground tread, so the route often requires route-finding capacity rather than simply following continuous trail.

The climb is tied to the Boulder River Wilderness context, so wilderness regulations apply within the area. Camping is limited at/near the pass, with guidance to use existing campsites and to bring a camp stove to protect fragile plant life buried under snow until mid-summer.

For a longer outing, the route continues beyond the pass on the Eight-mile Trail 654.1 down toward Clear Creek on Forest Service road 2065, linking the two sides of the pass into a one-way itinerary.

More information: Booking, Visitor information, Visitor information