McClellan Butte
6.2 mi
Distance
2 hrs 29 min
Time
terrain
2,778 ft
Elev Gain
Overview
This is a difficult out and back trail to McClellan Butte in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
stars
This is an excellent hike that is particularly good during the summer when other hikes in the area such as granite, defiance, etc are crowded on a weekend. This hike does not get a lot of traffic maybe because it is 3000 ft of gain.
A note of caution: the summit block is a class 3 scramble with the potential for serious consequences. Just remember going down is much harder than going up. If you fall while climbing the block you will not survive as unfortunately some have demonstrated!
Right now the trail is mostly under heavy snow so be prepared for that. We did not need microspikes or ice axes but you either need a track or maybe can follow other's tracks. There are 4-5 avalanche chutes to cross. Make sure you know the conditions of the day before attempting to cross these.
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★
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Public Tracks
McClellan Butte Summit from Forest Rd 9020
Took pictures of some avy chute crossings thinking ahead to a possible snow covered trip up. A couple crossings could be avoided going through bush, others must be crossed to stay on route and it could definitely be dicey in spots. I believe there were at least 6 spots that would be interesting in snow.
McClellan Butte (9/23/15, 5:17:25PM)
McClellan Butte (Slackers Route) - Wednesday Night Hike
