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Colchuck Peak Colchuck Glacier (mod. snow, 3rd), Dragontail Peak Colchuck Glacier (mod. snow, 3rd), Colchuck Balanced Rock Northwest Ridge (5.6)

Colchuck Peak, Dragontail Peak, Colchuck Balanced Rock

Routes:

- Colchuck Peak, Colchuck Glacier Route (mod. snow, 3rd)
- Dragontail Peak, Colchuck Glacier Route (mod. snow, 3rd)
- Colchuck Balanced Rock, NW Ridge (5.6)

I had just arrived home from a 2-month birding roadtrip around the entire Lower 48, and I was ready to put aside the telephoto lens and pick up my climbing gear. My cousin and my friend made fun partners and the Enchantments made a great destination for a few early-season moderate climbs: Colchuck, Dragontail, and Colchuck Balanced Rock. The trip was a good warm-up trip for the summer to come.

Seventeen years later, while visiting Washington in July 2025, I climbed Colchuck and Dragontail via the Colchuck Glacier Route again.

Region: Washington
Elev: 8,705 ft (Colchuck); 8,842 ft (Dragontail); 8,200+ ft (CBR)
Rock type: Granodiorite
Type: 
Trip Report 1:
Two days summiting Colchuck, Dragontail, & CBR
Date(s): June 24&26, 2008 (Tue&Thu)
Partner(s): Douglas Ray (all 3 climbs), Lisa Doubet (Colchuck & Dragontail)
Trip Report 2:
Colchuck & Dragontail via Colchuck Glacier Route again
Date(s): July 31, 2025 (Thu)
Partner(s): solo

Related trip reports:

Route Overlays

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Dragontail and Colchuck Peak via Colchuck Glacier Route. Created in 2008.
Dragontail and Colchuck Peak via Colchuck Glacier Route. Updated with better photo, 2025.
Colchuck Balanced Rock, Northwest Ridge.

Trip Reports for Each Day

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Route Overlays

The route. We ascended Colchuck Glacier to Colchuck Col, climbed Colchuck Peak, then traversed around the south side of Dragontail Peak to the summit, and then descended back to the trail via Aasgard Pass. The route was mostly easy slogging up or across snowfields and stony slopes - a great early-summer adventure with great views!
Original overlay from 2008.

Trip Report

THIS TRIP REPORT IS STILL MOSTLY IN THE EMBEDDED HTML FORMAT OF MY OLD WEBSITE.
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Colchuck Peak (8,705 ft) and Dragontail Peak (8,840 ft)
via Colchuck Glacier (3rd)

Update: I've since climbed some steeper rock routes on Dragontail Peak:
in 2009, via Serpentine Arete (5.8, 2000');
in 2017, via Dragons of Eden (5.12a, 650') + NE Buttress (4th to 5.7, 1600 additional feet).

DATE: June 24
ROUTE: Stuart Lake Trailhead --> Colchuck Lake --> Colchuck Glacier --> Colchuck Pass --> Colchuck Peak --> Colchuck Pass --> Dragontail Peak --> Aasgard Pass --> Colchuck Lake --> Stuart Lake Trailhead
 TIME: 13 hours car to car, relaxed pace
 ELEVATION GAIN: 6110 ft (5270 ft from trailhead to summit of Colchuck + 840 ft from Colchuck Col to summit of Dragontail)
WHO: Lisa, Doug, Steph
6am start of the hike up from the Stuart Lake Trailhead towards Colchuck Lake.
A short break while ascending Colchuck Glacier to Colchuck Col.
An easy traverse along the south side of the ridge from Colchuck Col to the summit of Colchuck Peak just 25 minutes west of the col. (Dragontail Peak in background, our next destination of the day.)
Panoramic view to the west of the Mt. Stuart massive from the summit of Colchuck Peak.
Ascending a snowfinger from Colchuck Col to the notch just left of Pandoras Box on the south side traverse of Dragontail Peak.
Me (Steph) bouldering around Pandoras Box. I wanted to climb it, maybe if we'd had more than a single nut with us for the 5.10ish crack and roof….
The easy snow traverse on the south side of Dragontail Peak. There was a steep section of snow right after the notch near Pandoras Box, but after this it was all smooth sailing.
On the summit of Dragontail.
The Enchantment Basin with early-season snowcover.
Descending from Aasgard Pass back down to Colchuck Lake. There were a few snowfields that made the descent faster, but as usual, the descent from Aasgard Pass was loose and uncomfortable on the knees, but it was over with relatively quickly.

Route Overlay

Our route: Approach from the E side of Colchuck Lake, ascending the obvious gully to the notch above Jaberwocky Tower. Climb toward the NW Ridge (Class 3) and move along the sharp ridge (5.6) to the summit. The final balanced rock on top is a boulder problem. Descent: single rap down the east face, then scramble talus and broken rock slopes around to the saddle on the south side and back to Jaberwocky Tower, then back down to Colchuck Lake. The climb was a fun adventure with more great views!

Trip Report

THIS TRIP REPORT IS STILL MOSTLY IN THE EMBEDDED HTML FORMAT OF MY OLD WEBSITE.
MOBILE Tip: Try Landscape mode. It is generally more mobile friendly.
Colchuck Balanced Rock (8,200 ft)
via NW Ridge (5.6)

Update: I've since climbed some steeper rock routes on the towering west side of Colchuck Balanced Rock:
in 2016 and 2025, via the West Face (5.11+/12-, 850');
in 2017, via The Scoop (5.11c, 900');
in 2025, via Let it Burn (5.12-, 850').

DATE: June 26
ROUTE: Stuart Lake trailhead --> Colchuck Lake --> Gully up to NW Ridge of Colchuck Balanced Rock --> NORTHWEST RIDGE OF COLCHUCK BALANCED ROCK --> Gully back down to Colchuck Lake --> Stuart Lake Trailhead
TIME: 12 hours car to car, relaxed pace
 ELEVATION GAIN: 4760 ft from trailhead to summit
WHO: Doug, Steph
Colchuck Balanced Rock (you can see the balanced rock - a super-exposed boulder problem - perched on top) as seen from Colchuck Lake. Due to the fact that the peak juts right up from the lake, from here the balanced rock looks so tiny and distant.
Ascending the gully to the NW Ridge. We came through the notch just south of Jaberwocky Tower seen behind Doug in the photo.
View of Dragontail and Colchuck (which we had climbed 2 days previous) from the approach up the gully.
The dead snag marking the beginning of the steeper climbing (5.6) just below reaching the NW Ridge. The NW Ridge was a few more pitches of low Class 5 to 5.6.
Climbing around the west side from the NW ridge just under the summit.
The boulder problem on the balanced rock on the top. We didn't climb it. We did the math and came to a startling conclusion: COLCHUCK BALANCED ROCK - BALANCED ROCK = COLCHUCK. Hmm….looks like we climbed the same peak twice!
(When I climbed the West Face route in 2016, we surmounted the Balanced Rock by throwing a rope over the top and belaying from the other side.)
Sketchy anchor just below the balanced rock on the summit. We made a single 25m rappel off this anchor down the east side of Colchuck Balanced Rock before scrabling the rest of the way down.
Rapping down the east side of Colchuck Balanced Rock.
Dragontail, Colchuck, and Stuart from near the summit of Colchuck Balanced Rock.
The descent involved a single rap down the east face, then scrambling talus and broken rock slopes around to the saddle on the south side and back to Jaberwocky Tower, then back down to Colchuck Lake.

Route Overlay

The route. I ascended Colchuck Glacier to Colchuck Col, climbed Colchuck Peak, then traversed around the south side of Dragontail Peak to the summit, and then descended back to the trail via Aasgard Pass. This was the same route I did in 2008, but with less snow.

Intro

I was in Leavenworth climbing with a friend, and after completing Der Sportsman (5.11+/12-, 6p) on Prusik Peak, we were considering a couple of days in Index next. With a free day between the two objectives, I decided on a solo adventure up Colchuck and Dragontail via the Colchuck Glacier Route. It had been seventeen years since I last did this route with Douglas and my cousin Lisa, so my memory of it was vague.

My Garmin watch recorded 15 miles with nearly 7,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. The outing took just under 10 hours and made for a spectacular day in the Enchantments. There was a bit less snow than when I did the route in June 2008, though in some ways, early-season snow might have actually made sections of talus and the Dragontail descent faster.

Map and photos below.

Map & GPS Track

GPS Track

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GPS Track from Garmin watch, colored by elevation. My watch recorded 15 miles and almost 7000 feet of elevation gain/loss.

Time Stats

Times
Leave Stuart Lake trailhead: 3:23 am
North end of Colchuck Lake: 5:23 am
Colchuck Col: 7:01 am
Colchuck Peak: 7:29 am
Dragontail Peak: 8:56 am
Aasgard Pass: 10:14 am
Colchuck Lake: 6:15am
Stuart Lake Trailhead: 1:12 pm
Splits
Trailhead to North end of Colchuck Lake: 2 hours
North end of Colchuck Lake to Colchuck summit: 2 hours 6 minutes
Colchuck summit to Dragontail summit: 1 hour 27 minutes
Dragontail summit to Aasgard Pass: 1 hour 18 minutes
Aasgard Pass to trailhead: 2 hours 58 minutes
Total car to car (includes breaks and time between the splits): 9 hours 49 minutes

Photos

Approach

2nd
Hike up to Colchuck Lake, then ascend Colchuck Glacier to Colchuck Col.
Hiking alone in the dark. First thing I see at the trailhead? A wanted poster for a murderer.
Looking up from the south end of Colchuck Lake towards Colchuck Col. The glacier is hidden behind the hump. I headed up here.
Heading up the talus.
Getting higher.
And higher.
View back down at Colchuck Lake.
Water was abundant so I filled up whenever I wanted.
On Colchuck Glacier headed to Colchuck Col.
Some bare glacier ice.
I wore crampons.
Colchuck Col.

Colchuck Peak

2nd-3rd
Rock and snow on south side.
Looking towards Colchuck Peak from the Colchuck Col
View south from Colchuck Col. Mt. Rainier in the distance.
Headed up towards the summit of Colchuck Peak. Sherpa and Stuart in the distance.
Nearing the summit of Colchuck Peak.
Mt. Stuart as seen from the summit of Colchuck Peak. The North Ridge is a classic climbing route.
Looking towards Dragontail Peak from the summit of Colchuck Peak.

Dragontail Peak

2nd-3rd
Rock and snow on south side.
Looking towards Dragontail Peak from Colchuck Col. The spire is called Pandora's Box.
I scrambled up this gully to a notch below Pandora's Box.
Some 3rd class scrambling.
The notch below Pandora's Box.
Some scree slogging.
A view back towards Pandora's Box after passing through the notch. I actually passed over the rock to the right of the notch in the photo and felt this avoided some loose stuff at the notch.
I scrambled along the ridge to the summit of Dragontail Peak.
This photo was taken from the summit of Dragontail Peak, looking back at the way I had come.
This photo was taken from the summit of Dragontail Peak, looking down at the Enchantment Lakes basin.

Descent

2nd
From the summit of Dragontail, descend to Aasgard Pass and from there hike to Colchuck Lake and back to Stuart Lake Trailhead.
My garmin watch happened to have a track for the east route up Dragontail, which I used as my descent.
Flowers on the descent, near the summit. My Seek app says these are Cushion Buckwheat.
Cushion Buckwheat.
A steep snowfield to descend.
Descending the steep snowfield.
Someone dropped a package of chocolate chips.
View of Enchantment Lakes below.
Cool rock.
Approaching Aasgard Pass.
Witches Tower.
View down at Colchuck Lake from the descent from Aasgard Pass. 2200 feet of steep loose trail.
Getting closer to Colchuck Lake.
A cute baby mountain goat on the trail.
A cute baby mountain goat on the trail. Colchuck Lake behind.
Roots.
A view back at Dragontail and Colchuck above Colchuck Lake.
Back at my car at the Stuart Lake trailhead. It had started to rain just as I got out. It proceeded to rain the rest of the day. I was happy I had left early so I could enjoy my adventure with good weather.

Previous and Next Adventures

Trip Report 1

Birding Road Trip Spring 2008
Hidden Lake Pk/LO, WA

Trip Report 2

Prusik Peak (Der Sportsman), WA
Cragging at Index, WA

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Useful beta. Updated route information. Corrections. Historical notes. Interesting facts. No fluff please.
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