Knife Ridge Traverse on the Pacific Crest Trail
Guided Backpacking Trips
4-5 Days, 3-4 Nights 26MI / 42KM
Trip Highlights
Embark on a breathtaking backpacking journey through the Goat Rocks Wilderness along the iconic Pacific Crest Trail, covering 26 miles! Experience lush, moss-covered forests, hike along stunning alpine ridgelines, and camp beside pristine mountain lakes. This trek showcases breathtaking views of the Cispus and Klickitat river basins, as well as panoramic vistas of the majestic Cascade volcanoes, including Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. We’ll reach a high point of 7,204 feet in the heart of an ancient extinct volcano and marvel at two extraordinary glaciers. Join us for an unforgettable adventure in this quiet, remote section of the Cascades!
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Sweeping Views of Mount Rainier
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High Alpine Lakes & Wildflowers
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Famous Pacific Crest Trail
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Views of Glaciers
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Yakima Indian Reservation
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Mountain Solitude
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Trip Details
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Trip Type
Guided Backpacking Trips -
Trip Length
4-5 Days, 3-4 Nights -
Daily Hiking Distance
Up to 6 miles -
Group Size
2-6 Guests
- day by day itinerary
- logistical and travel information
- gear and clothing lists and more
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Is This Trip Right For me?
This trip follows established trails with moderate daily hiking distances, but does have significant elevation gains and losses, and areas with significant heights exposure. Early season trips may have snow on the trails. There may be sections where the trail vanishes or is encumbered by fallen trees.
Difficulty Level
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Solitude Level
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Trip Itinerary
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes. Normal terms and conditions apply to trips with itinerary changes.
Day 1
Shuttle: 3 hours
Hiking Distance: 3.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 2188 feet
Elevation Loss: 414 feet
This 5 day backpacking adventure in the Goat Rocks Wilderness begins the moment your guide picks you up from your hotel in Olympia. The 2.5 hour drive will be filled with intriguing interpretations of the flora, fauna, and natural history of the area. Once at the trailhead, we’ll enjoy lunch and begin a 2,000+ feet climb to a ridge that leads to camp. The rich, second-growth forest covered by Jurassic-like moss and ferns will transform into an expansive horizon of alpine views and delicate wildflowers as we ascend. With rest well earned, we’ll reach a gorgeous lake where the group will begin making camp and your guide will prepare a hearty backcountry dinner.
Day 2
Hiking Distance: 5.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 2006 feet
Elevation Loss: 2014 feet
Day 2 is welcomed with a phenomenal mountain sunrise (weather dependent). Your guide will make breakfast while you drink your beverage of choice: coffee, tea hot coco, and then we’ll break camp and begin our journey. With another 2,000 feet of elevation gain on rocky switchbacks, we will further ascend into the wonderous alpine environment. Today we will follow in the footsteps of the thousands of Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers as we traverse the ridge line on the famous PCT. We will be met with soaring panoramic views of the surrounding volcanos (Mt Rainier, Mt Adams, Mt Saint Helens, and Mt Hood) as well as the Cispus and Klickitat River Basins before we reach camp near a small creek.
Day 3
Hiking Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1098 feet
Elevation Loss: 2220 feet
Today is the day we’ve been looking forward to! After our morning routine of packing up camp and fueling our bodies, we will continue along the PCT, crossing over the iconic Knife Ridge, where we will certainly marvel at the landscape of valleys below on each side, while Mt Rainier dominates the skyline to our North and Mt Adams to our south. After traversing this gem of a trail, we will descend back into the forest into the river valley where we’ll make our final push to camp. Today we will reach the highest elevation of our trip at 7,204 ft and get to walk through the heart of an ancient extinct volcano while passing above two glaciers! Gentle switchbacks will lead to tonight’s camp in a lush forest on a saddle where a delicious backcountry dinner will be prepared by your guide.
Day 4
Hiking Distance: 5.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 173 feet
Elevation Loss: 2755 feet
This morning we awaken to the vibrancy of an the old-growth forest. Now an expert at packing up your tent and backpack, you are free to find solitude in the surrounding forest or chat with the other guests while awaiting another scrumptious breakfast. The trail descends through dense forest as we pass by a jaw dropping old landslide and navigate our way over and through a short but steep and rugged section of trail. We will continue our decent through the forest, weaving over a glacier fed creek as it leads us to the valley floor below where we will hike along a river until we reach a large lake where we will make camp. This dense forest welcomes us with an assortment of ferns, salmonberries, flowering currants, and vanilla-leaves. After making camp, we will have the opportunity to go for a swim or wade in the clear crisp mountain lake. After a final backcountry dinner, when we choose to cozy into our warm sleeping bags, the gentle sound of the distant river and waves rolling on the shore will lull us off to sleep.
Day 5
Hiking Distance: 4.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 752 feet
Elevation Loss: 813 feet
Shuttle: 2 hours
On our final day in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, we will continue walking around the lake where there will be an old ranger station and historic guard station to explore. The trail leading back to the trailhead will provide rich smells of fir and cedar along with protection from the elements. The trees will engulf us in a lush, green tunnel as we travel up then down a gentle gradient to the Wildland vehicle awaiting our arrival. A sense of accomplishment will fill you after completing one of Wildland Trekking’s most exhilarating 5 day backpacking adventures!
Trip Dates
Click on a date to register. You can also click here to request new dates or book through customer service.
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What's Included
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Top-of-the-line tent, backcountry sleeping pad and multi-day backpack
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High quality, synthetic sleeping bag (professionally laundered after every use)
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Use of trekking poles
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All meals are included from breakfast the first day through lunch on the last day
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Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
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Comprehensive, roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Olympia and back
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All entrance fees, permits and passes
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Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device
What's Not Included
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Clothes, raingear, and footwear -
Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
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Water bottles and a headlamp or flashlight
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Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-20% of trip cost)
Accommodations
Backcountry Sleeping
TENT CAMPING
Sleeping on backpacking trips is in premier 1-person, 2-person or 4-person backcountry tents. Solo travelers, and anyone else who requests it, are issued single tents. Top-of-the-line self-inflating sleeping pads and synthetic-fill sleeping bags (professionally laundered after every trip) are also provided.
Backcountry Cuisine
FRESH & DELICIOUS
Meals from breakfast Day 1 through lunch the last day are fully included and prepared by your guide. We never use dehydrated backpacking meals, instead serving freshly prepared, delicious backcountry cuisine made with a variety of common and specialty ingredients that travel well in the wilderness.
Amazing Campsites
IN THE ACTION
Campsites vary by destination, trip and even by the individual day of a trip. However, you can expect to camp in beautiful areas that put you right in the action to make the most of your trekking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
Trip Logistics & FAQs
Where Do We Meet?
Your guide will conduct a virtual orientation meeting (via conference call) at 5:00 PM the evening before your trip begins to review the packing list, communicate the first day’s logistics and answer any last minute questions you have. Your guide will give you the phone number for this call during the pre-trip contact approximately 10 days before your trip start date.
Early on the morning of Day 1 your guide will pick you up from your accommodations in Olympia, WA.
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.
Travel to Olympia
The most common way to reach Olympia is by flying into Seattle and renting a vehicle or shuttling to Olympia (approximately 1 hour). SeaTac (Seattle-Tacoma) Airport is one of the most easily accessed destinations in the country. Many major cities in the United States and internationally offer direct flights into Seattle.
The shuttle to Olympia is provided by Premier Airport Shuttle. Go to https://premierairportshuttle.com/olympia/ or call 800-962-3579 to make reservations.
Start/End Times
Your guide will inform you of the first day’s pick-up time at the orientation meeting. Generally, you can expect it to be between 5 and 8 am, although the exact time will depend on current weather and road conditions. We will drop you off at your hotel on the final day normally before 5 PM (this time is not guaranteed, as a variety of circumstances can influence our exact return time).
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Age Restrictions
Age restrictions on this trip are as follows:
- 12 and older to join scheduled tours (mixed groups)
- 10 and older to join private tours, with final approval and specific logistical requirements (such as porter or stock assist) determined on a case by case basis
Reviews
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Andrew B
1 year agoThis trek is one of the best
Awesome trek! Fantastic scenery, knowledgeable guide who also happened to be a great camp chef (thanks Jeremy!). This trek is one of the best
Andrew K
1 year agoThere is clearly a reason they come so highly rated!
What an amazing, challenging and fulfilling adventure! Our guides really took care of everything so that we could take in the breathtaking views and concentrate on the hike itself. The food was outstanding and beyond any of my expectations. I would highly recommend this trip to hikers of all abilities! There is clearly a reason they come so highly rated!
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