Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Washington / Eastern Cascades

Cathedral Pass Loop (Pasayten)

Pasayten Wilderness, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (Thirtymile trailhead, north of Winthrop)

The Cathedral Pass Loop is a long lollipop into the Pasayten Wilderness, from the Chewuch River north of Winthrop to Upper Cathedral Lake below Amphitheater Mountain. WTA and The Mountaineers both list it at 44.7 miles, with a high point of 7,800 feet at Apex Pass.

WTA notes that the Chewuch River Trail passes forest recovering from fires in 2001, 2003 and 2006, so the walk in and out passes through burned forest.

The hike

The loop starts at the Thirtymile trailhead at the end of the road up the Chewuch River, at 3,400 feet (The Mountaineers). WTA’s description follows the Chewuch River Trail (#510) north through burned and recovering forest, past Cathedral Creek, to a high point of about 6,600 feet.

The route then turns onto the Lesamiz Trail (#565) toward Upper Cathedral Lake and Amphitheater Mountain, with a short cutoff to Remmel Lake. WTA says the campsites at Upper Cathedral Lake are near the shoreline and screened by larches.

Above the lake, the trail climbs to Cathedral Pass and joins the Boundary Trail (#533), which runs east over Apex Pass. About a mile past Apex, the Tungsten Trail (#534) drops six miles to the Chewuch River Trail. WTA warns that the junction, below the old Tungsten Mine, can be hard to find. The last 8.5 miles return down the Chewuch to the trailhead.

A 2020 WTA trip report describes the same high country from a group that started at the Chewuch trailhead and took the Cathedral Driveway, Chewuch, Lesamiz and Boundary trails over Cathedral, Apex and Sheelite passes toward Horseshoe Basin. They camped at Upper Cathedral Lake on the second night and found trails mostly in excellent condition, with rutted spots in the high meadows west of Cathedral Basin. Mosquitoes were still active at Cathedral Lake in late August, the writer said, and water was regular except for the stretch between the Tungsten Mine and Teapot Dome.

The Mountaineers list July through September as the season and rate the trip very strenuous. WTA suggests Douglas Lorain’s Backpacking Washington and the Green Trails Coleman Peak map (No. 20).

From Apex Pass, the Boundary Trail continues east to Horseshoe Basin, the route the 2020 group followed.

Tips

Camping

The Forest Service says visitors to the Pasayten need a free wilderness permit, filled out at the trailhead; parking at Thirtymile takes a recreation pass. Camping is dispersed. WTA mentions campsites near the shore of Upper Cathedral Lake, and The Mountaineers list a maximum party of 12.

Inside Intel: WTA’s guide recommends camping along the switchbacks near Cathedral Pass for sunrise and sunset light on the rocks. The 2020 WTA trip report’s group camped at Upper Cathedral Lake.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Larches, granite and a 45-mile loop:

The camps near Upper Cathedral Lake and Cathedral Pass sit high and far from the trailhead, so a tent that handles wind and early snow earns its weight. See the tents testers rate.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.