Pasayten Wilderness

Pasayten Wilderness encompasses 531,000 acres, skirting more than 50 miles of Canada's border and encompassing the crest of the Cascades. The Wilderness encompasses almost 150 peaks over 7,500 feet in elevation, 160 or more bodies of water, and at least as many waterways, some turbulent enough to have carved sharp canyons with sheer walls.
Rugged ridges in the west flatten into more open plateaus toward the east, with deep drainages on both sides. Its diverse forest changes from fir, cedar, western hemlock in the west to fir, pine, and larch in the east. This region provides habitat for deer, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, the gray wolf, and is home to the largest population of lynx in the Lower 48. Snow falls between October and May, and the hard packed snow may block the high western-side trails sometimes until early August. Eastern-side trails are usually free of snow by early July.
More than 600 miles of trails provide access to the Wilderness, many of them deceptively gentle at the start and become progressively labor-intensive as they climb up multiple switchbacks into the higher elevations. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) crosses the area north-south for about 32 miles. The Boundary Trail begins in the southeast corner of the Wilderness and meanders north and west for over 73 miles near the Canadian border to eventually join the Pacific Crest Trail.
Help protect your wilderness by following wilderness regulations and using Leave No Trace principles.
- Key access points: Trail and trailhead information.
At a Glance
Permit Info: | Wilderness permits are required. The self-issuing permits are free and are available at trailheads and Forest Service Ranger Stations. |
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Restrictions: | Wilderness regulations apply |
Closest Towns: | Winthrop, WA |
Passes: | Some trailheads on the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest require a valid recreation pass. Check our Recreation Passes and Permits page for details. |
Operated By: | Forest Service |
Information Center: |
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General Information
General Notes:Other Trails within Pasayten Wilderness:
- Basin Creek Trail #360
- Clutch Creek Trail #343
- Deer Park Trail #341
- Long Draw Trail #340
- Middle Fork Trail #387
- Pacific Crest Trail #2000
- Smith Lake Trail #361
Topo Maps
Ashnola Mountain, Ashnola Pass, Azurite Peak, Billy Goat Mountain, Castle Peak, Coleman Peak, Crater Mountain, Frosty Creek, Jack Mountain, Lost Peak, McLeod Mountain, Mount Barney, Mount Lago, Pasayten Peak, Robinson Mountain, Shull Mountain, Skagit Peak, Slate Peak, Sweetgrass Butte, Tatoosh Buttes. Download free U.S. Forest Service Topo maps.
Buy maps online
Go to the National Forest Store.
Wilderness.net
Go to Wilderness.net for online maps and other important Wilderness information.
Directions:
The Pasayten Wilderness is located north of Winthrop in the north-central region of Washington state.
Trail/Trailheads that access Pasayten Wilderness:
- Andrews Creek Trailhead - access to Andrews Creek Trail #504
- Billy Goat Trailhead - access to Hidden Lakes Trail #477 Larch Creek/Billy Goat Pass Trail #502
- Canyon Creek Trailhead - access to Chancellor/Canyon Creek Trail #754, Jackita Ridge Trail #738
- Chewuch Trailhead - access to Chewuch Trail #510, Cathedral Driveway Trail # 510A, and Basin Creek Trail #360
- Farewell Creek Trailhead - access to Crystal Lake Trail #517
- Fourteen Mile Trailhead - access to Albert Camp Trail #375
- Hart's Pass Trailhead - access to Pacific Crest Trail #2000 and nearby Slate Peak, Slate Pass, Canyon Creek trailheads.
- Irongate Trailhead - access to Boundary Trail #533
- Lake Creek Trailhead - access to Lake Creek Trail #500
- Monument Creek Trailhead - access to Monument Creek Trail #484
- Robinson Creek Trailhead - access to Robinson Creek - Middle Fork Trail #478
- Slate Peak Trailhead - access to West Fork Pasayten River Trail # #472
- Thirty Mile Trailhead- access to Chewich Trail #510
- Windy Peak Trailhead (Long Swamp) - access to Windy Peak Trail #342