Forbidden Peak West Ridge climb in Washington State via the Boston Basin, 3 days

Situated in the heart of North Cascades National Park, within the picturesque Boston Basin, Forbidden Peak (8,115 feet) is the perfect spot for a challenging mountaineering expedition.

Over the course of three days, we will hike through the basin toward Forbidden Peak, before ascending the West Ridge route, undertaking mixed mid-fifth class snow, ice and rock climbing.

The adventure begins shortly after we meet up in Sedro Woolley, where we will discuss our itinerary before making the two hour drive to the Boston Basin trailhead at 3,200 feet.

From the trailhead, we will hike three to four hours until we reach our high camp. The hiking is quite scenic and we will walk along a number of forested trails through the basin until we reach the toe of a glacier.

Here, we will set up camp and go over some of the necessary climbing skills for the next day.

On summit day, we will a pre-dawn alpine start and ascend up to the moderate Quien Sabe Glacier to the Boston Sahale Col. From here, we will traverse a series of rocky and snowy ridges before making the final summit ascent.

This last climbing bit is eight pitches of 5th class climbing up to 5.6 on the West ridge, itself. Afterwards just a tiny bit of third class scrambling separates us from the summit.

And the views from the top will certainly be worthwhile. The summit boasts excellent vistas out into North Cascades National Park as well as fabulous views of Johannesberg Peak and the Quien Sabe Glacier on Sahale Peak.

So what are you waiting for? Book now for this challenging but scenic 3-day mountaineering ascent of Forbidden Peak in North Cascade National Park!

If you like the look of this trip then we think you may also enjoy our 2-day ascent of Sahale Peak, also in North Cascades National Park!