Cardinal Peak is the high point of the Chelan Mountains and an isolated area within the North Cascades. Bordered on the west with the Entiat Range and to the East by Lake Chelan it’s a scenic area without many people. The closest town is the ferry accessed Holden Village but it is mainly accessed via the Entiat River Road with a turnoff on the north fork.

Heading up the North Fork of the Entiat River

Using the river as a catch line Dan Howell and I finally reached alpine after 6 miles of trail. We had started early in the day and made the plan to go as far as our legs would allow. The contrast between the low forests and the high mountains was wild as we started to gain elevation. There was a very rugged and unique fill within this section of Cascades as we as we made our way towards the alpine.

 

It took quite a while before we finally reached the head of valley. We were surround by big mountains in all directions by now. We kept heading north towards the source of the river arriving at the base of Saska, Emerald and Cardinal Peaks.

 

We had no intended route to ski as we climbed towards the alpine but Cardinal Peak quickly grabbed our attention. From what we could see there were numerous different routes to snowboard on the northwest side. There was also an easy pass that would allow us to look to the east. We knew Lake Chelan was out there and hopefully this spot would all us to see it.

 

Under the northwest face of Cardinal Peak was a flat bench formed by old glacial erosion. With daylight quickly fading Dan and I decided it would be the perfect spot to camp. It would be close to the summit and had a stunning view of the surrounding mountains. But best of all there was a flat boulder to bivy on for the night.

 

Setting up Camp Underneath Cardinal Mountain

While Dan rested for the rest of the day I decided to skin up Cardinal Peak for an afternoon run. Cutting between the avalanche debris I made a skin track in the wet snow underneath the face.

 

The whole route was viewable from camp as I made my way towards the col in the late afternoon sun. Not only would it provide great turns but I would also be able to ride back to camp.

 

After the col I switched to bootpacking for the final 400 feet and carefully climbed all the way to the summit of Cardinal Peak. I was concerned about the snow conditions as I dropped onto the steep headwall. With a quick ski cut I was able to clear out the remaining slush. I navigated through the crux bordered by rocks and ripped down the lower apron to Dan who was waiting below.

 

A Scenic Day Riding Around Cardinal Peak

The next morning we enjoyed views to the west as we skinned up to Cardinals Col. The Chocolate Glacier on Glacier Peak was towering over the mountains in the distance. It was a stunning and clear morning and we were happy to be in the alpine.

 

The higher we climbed the more astounding the views of the surrounding peaks. There was a lifetime of peaks just on the ridge next to us like Maude and Seven Fingered Jack.

 

Once we crested the col we skinned over to a flat bench on the eastern ridge 7000 feet above Lake Chelan. I was excited to see the lake below but looking down it was not in view. It seemed the mountains had blocked it from our vantage point but at least we could see the peaks to the east.

 

For the next 30 minutes we sat around and took in the morning views. We knew it was going to be a long day as we were going to exit in the afternoon. While the forecast was calling to deteriorate at the moment it was blue skies with endless views,

 

To the North we could see the mountains around North Cascades National Park. From what we could tell we could see Eldorado Peak, Sahale Peak, Mount Buckner, Mount Logan and Goode Mountain.

 

Snowboarding Down the East Side of Cardinal Peak Towards Lake Chelan

The slopes on the northeast side as it looked to hold better terrain that wasn’t covered in avalanche debris. Dropping in we were happy to find soft corn and a bowl of our own to put tracks in.

 

With no terrain traps or rocks on the permanent snowfield we were able open up. Making our way down in the perfect corn we were experiencing the best turns of the day. We made our way down around 2000 feet before the snow started getting to soft.

 

Looking back up at our tracks we were happy that we made our way to the eastern side. While the north side had some steep runs this was a much mellower area where we could just enjoy our turns. Putting our skins back on we made our way up the tracks and before long we had arrived back at the col.

 

One Last Descent Down the North Fork Entiat River

By now the snow on the northwest side had softened up as well Knowing this we made our way to the summit of Cardinal Peak before riding back to camp. Little by little the blue sky was turning gray but the turns were still great.

 

Finally we were taking our last turns back to camp as the Entiat Mountains opened up around us. It had been a great day riding and we were not looking forward to the hike out. Arriving at camp we threw our gear in the packs and made our way down to snowline.

 

The hike was chaotic as we followed the summer trail with thunderstorms, hail, river fording and the occasional patch of blue bird skies. While it was a long and excruciating trip to pull off in 36 hours it is a worthy tour none the less to check out the Chelan Mountains.

 

 

Thank you for reading this trip out to Cardinal Mountain in the Chelan Mountains. If you want to see more ski tours within the Stevens Pass Backcountry check out this link.