Lundin Peak: West Ridge

Conditions of the route overall were great. We never had to get on snow, holds were solid, a few loose boulders here and there, and great stoke amongst the group. We pitched out a couple spots, and simul climbed a couple others. Overall a great day in the mountains just outside of Seattle.

July 10, 2026

Beta

• Peaks: Snoqualmie Mountain (6,278 ft), Lundin Peak (6,057 ft), Snow Dome (6,160 ft)
• Route: Snoqualmie Mountain trail from Alpental, ridge traverse to Lundin’s West Ridge, loop back over Cave Ridge and Snow Dome
• Class: Low 5th class rock on Lundin (pitched a couple of spots, simuled others, a couple of rappels on the descent). Snoqualmie and Snow Dome are hiking and low class 2.
• Distance: 7.01 miles round trip
• Elevation gain: ~4,378 ft
• Time: 9.8 hours car to car (0635 to 1625). Summit times: Snoqualmie ~0906, Lundin ~1206, Snow Dome ~1415.
• Trailhead: Alpental parking lot, Snoqualmie Pass
• Gear: Light rock rack with cams, a rope for pitching / simul / rappel, helmet. No snow travel needed on route as of 7/10/2026.
• Conditions (as of 7/10/2026): Dry rock, solid holds, a few loose boulders. Nice breeze, low sun, pleasant weather.
• Water: Filtered from a melted-out snow tarn just at the base of Snow Dome, on the Cave Ridge loop.
• Passes: Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful (National Parks) pass at the Alpental lot.
• GPX: Cleaned track available below.

The approach

We started at 0630 and started making our way up Snoqualmie Mountain trail from the Alpental parking lot. We needed to choose a path at one point to start traversing along the ridge and over to Lundin. Matty realized that two of us had never bagged Snoqualmie Mountain before, so we sent it! The views at the top are actually more impressive than I expected.

Looking back from the top of Snoqualmie Mountain. Photo by Leigh.

After some water and soaking in the mountains and alpine lakes around us, we continued on towards our objective. The spiny ridge over towards Snoqualmie East looked like a bit much for what we planned today, so we hiked along the talus field underneath it, staying high. We began to see our objective of the day now: Lundin Peak.

The team spots Lundin and works along the talus toward the climb.

We crossed along a lovely mountain ridge full of beautiful views and some ups and downs. There was a nice breeze during our climb, and the sun was still low. It was really a dreamy Friday in Snoqualmie Pass. As we closed the gap towards Lundin, we could take in the full scope of the climb now. What a beautiful mountain! The catwalk was impressive, and the climb looked as fun as I had hoped. This was going to be a good day.

Short traverse toward Lundin. I’m the orange dot. Photo by Leigh.

Another look at Lundin from the southwest. What a mountain.

The team scouts the climb before dropping onto the catwalk to start.

The climb

The climb begins.

We decided to play it safe and make an anchor and pitch out the first steep move. Which, of course, led right up to the first actual anchor! I decided to go ahead and send it all the way up behind the first climb team, Matt and Leigh. The rock felt solid and the moves felt good. I didn’t place any gear. Matt had already installed another anchor so after I belayed Charley up, he clove hitched in and I kept climbing. There were a few moves here that got airy! They were really fun! I thought they were worth protecting though and finally threw a cam in. You never know.

We pitched out that first move, and the actual anchor was one move above.

Matty getting airy on the good stuff.

Up and over to the next spot, we were making quick work of the route. From here, I belayed Charley up again. The rock ahead of us was great. I used this as an opportunity for some simul-climbing training before my upcoming Forbidden Peak climb. These lesser-exposed ridges are some of the best spots to practice. It went great. I placed some gear as I went, and Charley cleaned it. Nothing ever felt too sketchy.

Team moving well. Prepping to simul ahead of Forbidden.

A little mentorship moment on the ridge.

One spot along the ridge we tried to climb over, but there is a sizable gap. We opted to take the dirt ramp to the left which got us right up to the last scramble. And up we went! A few easy class 2 and 3 moves, and we made the summit of Lundin.

Getting close to the top.

Matty taking it all in near the final scramble.

The team making the last push.

Leigh aura farming on top, bless.

Charley snackin and relaxin topside.

The whole squad cheesin on the summit.

Me soaking in the views. Photo by Leigh.

The descent

After some pictures, lunch, and chugging some water, we were ready to make our way down. We down-climbed most of the way, and eventually found our way back to near where we had placed a cam or two. This section looked like a pretty exposed down-climb, so we opted to set up a couple rappels. They went smoothly and without any shenanigans.

Hitting one of the rappels. Cha cha real smooth.

Rappel style points. Photo by Leigh.

Leigh finessing the last rappel.

Professional rope coiler at work.

From there we returned across the rocky catwalk. Once back to our hiking poles, we had another quick snack and got moving. Matt was leading the front on navigation, and we were making our way back towards Cave Ridge. This would form a loop and eventually spit us out back on the Snoqualmie Mountain trail and down to the Alpental parking lot. We began descending and filtered water from a melted out snow tarn.

A perspective shot of the Kendall Katwalk, way off in the distance from Lundin.

The team clocking out of the catwalk. Photo by Leigh.

Charley and Matt exiting the catwalk.

One last look at the route on our way out. Photo by Leigh.

Snow Dome, the bonus

But wait! We noticed a named peak was right there, Snow Dome. Stoke was still running high in our group of four, so we had to bag it. We quickly scrambled up the loose rocks and made the tree covered summit. To our surprise, there were lots of good little bivy spots around and in the trees. If you walked all the way around, there was a great view of the valley. A fun bonus to top off the day.

The gang bags Snow Dome.

Leigh with Snow Dome behind.

Snow Lake from the top of Snow Dome.

Onward

Finally we began our official descent. We made our way down through some steep scree, around a big rock face, and eventually found the obvious climber’s trail. From here we descended through beautiful alpine meadows and followed the dry creek bed down.

Matty leading through the meadows toward Cave Ridge.

Looking back at Cave Ridge and the alpine meadows.

The descent through the forest has a couple spots that are tricky for navigation, but they generally seem to all go. At one point I explored a path that went over to a big cliff. The cliff actually wrapped around and met back up with the team easily. It had a great breeze and nice views too. From here it was just a short, steep descent back to Alpental.

Everyone made it safely, and we celebrated with slushies and ice cream at the Snoqualmie Pass gas station (gas $5.99). It was a really fun day, and one that I would repeat again. Lundin is a great, short climb just outside of Seattle. It’s a fantastic spot to practice multipitch rock climbing skills. It was a rather uneventful day out. Pleasant weather, great people, awesome climbing, and 3 peaks. A perfect Friday to set up a fun weekend in the mountains.

Onward.

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