Mt. Baker - Squak Glacier
Route Details
Area - Mt. Baker, WA
Access - There are three main routes from the south side of Mt. Baker (Easton Glacier, Squak Glacier, and Talum Glacier). Access is the same Park Butte Trailhead for all three routes. The trailhead is at 3,300 ft elevation, and the road normally is free of snow and open to the trailhead starting sometime around early May.
Total Trip Time - 9-13 hr. Single day push is normal although some parties split the trip into two days.
Total Distance - 12 miles (from trailhead, more if you park further down the road)
Main Ski descent - ~5,000 ft (depending on snowpack)
Elevation Gain/Loss - 7,400 ft
Max Slope Angle - 40-45 °
Guides
Local Beta - This is a pretty remote area that can feel anything but remote even in mid-winter as it's a popular snowmobile location. The road can be super packed with cars May-June as multiple parties descend upon the mountain.
Trip Report 6/3/2023
Antoine and I had skied Fuhrer Finger two weeks ago and we were both ready for another volcano. This time around we were a party of three with Olly joining the group. We decided to do something a little unconventional and go to sleep early in our beds in Seattle, and then hit the road in the middle of the night to get an approximate 1am start from the trailhead.
We didn't see anyone else ahead or behind us during the climb. The moon was almost full, the snow was rock hard after. Olly and I eventually put skis on our backs and cramponed for the last few thousand feet.
We made good time and were close to the Roman Wall by 7am. The sun slowly took over from the moon and the June heat came upon us quickly.
The Roman was too steep for even Antoine to skin up, but wasn't bad at all with crampons on the boots.
It was classic volcano skiing on the way down. Funky refrozen crud up top, some nice corn around the middle, and slush at the bottom
A lot of folks sleep in their car and some even bring a tent and make it a two day outting, but with good weather I think it's totally reasonable to do a car to car on the south side of Baker. Since this trip I've tried both sleeping in a tent/car ahead of the start versus just going straight for it from the house, and I'm not sure which I actually prefer as both seem to work about equally as well.