Three Fingers-Goat Flats-Saddle Lake Trail 641

A rough, root-filled trail travels from Tupso Pass into Boulder River Wilderness through dense forest to four-acre Saddle Lake at 2.5 miles. In the early 1970s the Everett Mountaineers built a shelter at the edge of the meadows near the lake. No camping is allowed within 200 feet of Saddle Lake. Travel 2.3 miles farther through subalpine meadows and timber to Goat Flat. This camp area is often crowded on summer and fall weekends. Please protect the fragile vegetation by using only existing campsites. Fires are prohibited from Saddle Lake to Three Fingers.

Reach Tin Pan Gap after 6.2 miles. From this point onward expect a technical climb requiring climbing expertise and equipment. Three Fingers glacier must be traversed, followed by a rocky scramble and an ascent on steep ladders to the lookout on the south peak of Three Fingers Mountain. The lookout was built in 1933 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was necessary to blast off the top 10 to 15 feet of the peak in order to build the structure. Old telephone wires can still be seen intermittently along the Three Fingers Trail. In 1986 the Everett Mountaineers assumed maintenance of the lookout.

Washington Trails Association Hiking Guide and Trip Reports