Kaleetan Peak Route Information

Kaleetan Peak

Map Annotations:

• (A) - Hiking up the valley towards Melakwa Pass.
  
• (B) - Looking up towards the gully that we climbed to reach the ridge.
  
• (C) - The ridge walk with Kaleetan Peak in the distance.

Driving:
Drive I-90 east to exit 47, and follow the Denny Creek road from here 3 miles to the campground. Go past the campground and turn left over the bridge, and park in .25 miles, 2300' (Trail Park passes required).

Hiking/Bushwhacking:
Follow the Denny Creek trail 4.5 miles to Melakwa Lakes, 4550' (2+ hours).

From the upper lake, start up the valley towards Melakwa Pass. In the early season, snow makes the travel easy, later the talus becomes tedious. Work up past the first small bowl, to the second small bowl, passing through some small wooded areas where a snowmelt creek flows though. The second small bowl leads up towards Melakwa Pass. Immediately left is the "2DrX Couloir", which leads to up to the ridge.

Climb the couloir (probably easier through early summer) on snow, and bail to the right onto rock when the going gets too steep and manky. The rock and dirt gullies can be climbed easily to the ridge. Follow the ridge on easy terrain towards the summit.

The summit gully is a class 2 rock climb of a couple hundred feet, with some loose rock. Car to summit, it took us 5.5 hours. Down, about 3 hours.