This is a seldom climbed peak deep in the heart of the North Cascades National Park. The North Cascades and the Picket Range are infamous for their rugged peaks and burly approaches, Whatcom Peak is no exception. There are two variations listed here to Whatcom Peak.
The Easy Ridge route goes from Hannegan Pass to the Chilliwack River to an old climbers trail up to the top of Easy Ridge and some of the best scenery in Washington state. Follow the ridge over Easy Peak, navigate the Imperfect Impasse, and arrive at Perfect Pass. The Impasse can be quite complex and challenging depending on the time of year and the situation with snow moats and wet rock on the 4th class slabs. Many climbers might be well advised to drop some elevation for an easier crossing location then hike back up. From Perfect Pass, just climb the snowfields on the south face and scramble some 3rd class rock to the summit.
The North Ridge can be reached by trail from either the west or the east - from the west take Hannegan Pass to the Chilliwack River to Brush Creek to the pass. From the Little Beaver trailhead to the east (reached by boat on Ross Lake), take the Little Beaver trail to the pass. Both are comparable mileage and folks are encouraged to test each route against each other to see which is fastest. Bonus style points for those who packraft, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, swim, etc, themselves up Ross Lake to the Little Beaver trailhead. From Whatcom Pass, 3rd class scramble the north ridge of Whatcom.
Folks should choose whichever descent option they prefer. The GPS track shows all three approach and descent options. Also note that the google map layer used here on the FKT page has the summit of Whatcom Peak mislabeled - USGS topos and everyone else all agree it's to the east of what's labeled on this map
The Easy Ridge route is the more aesthetic and beautiful route to the summit, but the North Ridge is almost certainly faster so we want people to have the chance to test both. Ascending Easy Ridge and descending the North Ridge back to the Chilliwack and the Hannegan trailhead is a stylish lollipop option. A great trail description is found here: http://trailcatjim.com/whatcom-peak-loop-easy-peak-perfect-pass-whatcom-peak/ And as with all things Pickets, Steph Abegg's website is hugely helpful, especially for beta on the Impasse: https://sites.google.com/stephabegg.com/washington/tripreports/pickets
