Hidden Springs near White Pass in Washington.

[hikin_mike1960]

Hey all,

We are starting at White Pass and hiking south on the PCT through the Goat Rock Wilderenss Area in a couple of weeks. I am looking for info on Hidden Springs. We were told to camp there the first night. Then we were going over Old Snowy into Snowgrass Flats for our second night. We have stayed there before. Can anyone give us any help please?

Thanks
michael

[Aimless]

I hiked that stretch of PCT at the beginning of August and camped at Hidden Springs.

From White Pass you will have a very steady, somewhat grueling climb for the first five miles. It's about 2100 ft of gain in five miles, up to ~6500 ft. at which point the terrain emerges from forest, the view opens out to alpine vistas, and the trail becomes more level, traversing the side of a ridgeline. After another 1.5 miles of mostly level, very scenic trail you'll arrive at the first junction with the Shoe Lake trail. You can choose to leave the PCT and visit the lake (which is quite visible far below you) where you can get water, or continue on the PCT around the backside of a ridge, with great views of Mt. Rainier. You probably know already that camping is prohibited at Shoe Lake, due to decades of overuse.

Whichever way you go, the Shoe Lake trail and PCT join back up south of Shoe Lake. The junction with the Hidden Springs trail is roughly three quarters of a mile further on, walking on a gradual downhill. The junction is fairly easy to find and you'll need to leave the PCT and follow the Hidden Springs trail for about a third of a mile down to the springs where you can camp near a water source. It's about 8 miles total from the White Pass trailhead.

When you arrive at a wide, flat, trampled spot on the Hidden Springs trail you need to turn left (north) and walk down to the edge of a meadow about 100 yards away where the spring emerges. The camping area has a lot of blowdown, but several sites are useable.

You should also check out a very nice viewpoint that's only a few minutes further up the Hidden Springs trail (east) from that wide, trampled spot. The viewpoint even has a couple of nice sites for pitching a tent, but you'd have to walk further for water if you camp there. From the viewpoint you can see Old Snowy Mountain and other local peaks, plus it is less buggy than the area right near the springs. That shouldn't matter in September, but it is a godsend in July!

Have fun. If you have any further questions I can try to answer them.

[hikin_mike1960]

Thank you very much. This was very helpful.