Sites with great beta on Washington, etc. mtns

[Runner342]

Being the planner I am (and constantly dreaming of mountains), I'm already looking into trying to get an internship for the next summer. After spending this summer in Estes Park I got to know RMNP pretty well and LOVED it, but one of the best opportunities I have for next summer would be in Washington. With the Cascades and Olympics there it looks like there are some amazing mountains - they also look very different from the ones I climbed so much in Colorado (more glacier travel, less crowded, etc.).
Are there any great sites for these peaks sort of like 14ers.com is for the CO peaks? Right now I'm just drooling on summitpost which is pretty good, just wondering if there's some other good ones.

[kushrocks]

Check out http://cascadeclimbers.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Its pretty much the 14ers.com of the North West.

[Runner342]

That's perfect! Thanks!

[kaiman]

As kushrocks points out cascadeclimbers.com is the place to go for beta on the peaks in the PNW. If you want more of an overview on the climbing history, geography, and various climbing routes on many known and unknown peaks, I would also take a look at the books by Fred Beckey and Jeff Smoot. Beckey made many of the first ascents on the peaks in the PNW, and while in some ways his books on the Cascades are a bit dated, they have information on some routes and obscure peaks in Washington that is hard to find anywhere else. Smoot's book on the Cascade volcanoes is a great companion for climbing the major Cascade mountains and I've used it on several trips to the area.

Kai

[Dave B]

...I would also take a look at the books by Fred Beckey... Beckey made many of the first ascents on the peaks in the PNW.

[spiderman]

Summitpost and Peakbagger have been my go to sites for routes and some beta. I have found people on cascadeclimbers.com to be generally big jerks who want to tell you "You are going to Die". Definitely some good people there but overall not as friendly as 14ers.com folks. The mountains in the Pacific NW have challenges very different from those in Colorado. Here are some of my favorites, ranked in order from easiest to hardest (weather, snow, and crevasse conditions can make the difficulty very different for other climbers):

Adams
Hood
Baker
Glacier
Stuart
Rainier
Olympus

Olympus

Olympus SM.JPG (109.13 KiB) Viewed 2454 times

[Monster5]

There are no websites like 14ers for the Cascades with step-by-step instructions, but yeah, a combination of the Cascadeclimbers.com forum, SP, and MP work for the popular stuff. I'd say most of the routes require stronger topo-reading and navigation skills. Beckey's guide is comprehensive (!) and cool but you might get a headache if you stare at it for too long. Beckey's guides aren't nearly as bad as Michael Kelsey's guidebooks though.

Similar to the perpetual beginner questions we get annoyed with here about Greys, Torres, Mt Quandry Peak, and Beirstat , sometimes Cascadeclimbers.com tends to get annoyed with the perpetual questions about their routes with existing and copious beta.

[TravelingMatt]

There's also http://www.nwhikers.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and the trip reports on the WTA's site https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For Oregon try https://www.oregonhikers.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kaiman]

...I would also take a look at the books by Fred Beckey... Beckey made many of the first ascents on the peaks in the PNW.

LOL Fred Beckey what a legend. I've always loved that photo you posted and the famous Patagonia "Will Belay for Food" picture. I can't believe he is 93 and is still out there climbing! He's going to go out like a bluesman, but with a harness in his hand instead of a guitar...

[jchapell]

I'll echo that wta.org is a fantastic site for hiking (not climbing). Great organization and ways to find a variety of trips across the region. It's got a good phone app as well.

[aweygandt]

All the sites mentioned so far are great resources. I've used both SummitPost & Cascade Climbers. You might also check out https://www.oregonhikers.org Obviously, there is more info about Oregon than Washington on there, but they still have plenty of resources for you. I moved from Denver to Portland a year ago. That site is probably my favorite one for hikes out here, and it has more of a community feeling to it.

One note, you need a parking pass for a lot of the hikes here in the PNW. You'll figure it out, but your main options are:
-Northwest Forest Pass $30/yr covers trailheads in National Forests (sold a bunch of places including REI)
-Annual Interagency Pass $80/yr covers trailheads in National Forests AND National Parks/Monuments/Sites (you could get this one in Colorado since it covers all National Parks)

I hope that all helps!

[SuperPolok]

Beckey's guides aren't nearly as bad as Michael Kelsey's guidebooks though.

I've always thought of Kelsey's books as the outsider art of the guidebook world. I both love and hate them.