Pass Butte and Lost Peak

Deep in the core of the Pasayten Wilderness are situated Pass Butte and Lost Peak, the gentle giants. This vicinity of the Pasayten Wilderness provides delightful wandering, because the terrain is open and unfettered by the dense brush that causes scramblers to curse the notorious bushwhacks of the wetter, western regions. Pass Butte is a moderate hump connected by a ridge to a more striking yet smaller and unnamed 8211-foot summit to the northwest. Up close, Lost Peak is tall and rounded, mostly covered with scree and small blocky rock sections on its southern slopes. But despite this modest demeanor, the northern side is ominously steep with a small ice gully and ice remnant. The combination of Pass Butte and Lost Peak makes a first-rate day trip from a campsite from either direction. Because the duo is a long way from the closest trailheads, a loop trip is recommended for its variety and aesthetics. Most of the travel is along trails paralleling long riverbeds and thus provides a logical introduction for the backpacker transitioning into a scrambler. Delight in your progress from hiking on the trail to superb strolling along enormous hillsides where the views explode.