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Geography
| Lost Peak   | 
| Page Type: Mountain/Rock Location: Washington, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 47.81399°N / 123.33715°W County: Jefferson Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering, Bouldering, Scrambling Season: Summer Elevation: 6515 ft / 1986 m | Page By: OlympicMtnBoy Created/Edited: Aug 17, 2006 / Jan 15, 2009 Object ID: 216678 Hits: 3089 Loading... Page Score: 91.34% - 48 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Lost Peak Overview  View from the summit approach, looking back and southwest
Lost Peak. The name invokes some sort of mystery or adventure. It's location in the East/Central Olympic Mountain Range of Washington State makes Lost Peak a difficult peak to get to. Anyone hiking from Cameron Pass to Dose Meadow will surely notice this prominent talus peak overlooking lush meadows of Sub-Alpine Fir, Magenta Paintbrush, American Bistort, Blueberries and other various sub-alpine plants. Located to the east of the Lost River and north of the Dosewallips River, Lost Peak provides a natural environment for Black Bear, Roosevelt Elk and Olympic Marmots.
Be Cautious during Blueberry season when climbing this peak, due to the large ammounts of Black Bears in the area (I saw one while coming around a tree at 20 feet, just after skirting away from another one). Thankfully, most bears are probably more interested in blueberries then in people. But it's always better to be safe in the Olympic Wilderness.
Lost Peak's gentle slopes give way to a rather jagged tangle of rock spires that reach to the north east. Views from this peak are exceptional, with major Olympic Peaks such as Mt Olympus, Mt Deception, The Needles, Mt Constance, Mt Mystery, the Anderson Massif, Mt Cameron and the Bailey Range all within viewing distance. Lesser peaks such as Wellesly Peak, Piro's Spire, The Brothers, Mt Stone, Mt Elk Lick, Sentinel Peak, Mt Claywood, Little Mystery and Mt Fromme are dispersed amongst the giants of the range. The most majestic view is of the Mt Cameron massif to the north. Cameron's south slope's fall away into the Lost Basin. From the north end of the summit a cliff drops over a thousand feet into a beautiful basin of several topaz colored lakes to the south of Mt Cameron. Beneath it's summit, to the south, is a beautiful mini-basin filled with talus scree and a snow field, but lined with wildflowers. This area offers a gorgeous view of 1000 Acre Meadow, Sentinel Peak and the Anderson Massif to the south. Although not a major challenge, Lost Peak is a very enjoyable climb, with rewarding views, exceptional wildlife, and solitary freedom. Chances are you won't meet anyone on Lost Peak, given it's remote distance from trail heads. Maybe it is Lost in a sea of giant peaks, but Lost Peak is worth the climb for it's severe beauty.
Getting There There are several possible routes to reach Lost Peak, but all will require multiple day trips. The Dosewallips Trail to Dose Meadow is now extended, due to the road washout. This adds on about another five miles of distance. It's about 17 miles to Dose Meadow. From there turn north onto the Lost Pass Trail, wich at only .9 miles, is extremely steep, gaining over a thousand feet. Lost Pass lies at the southwest end of Lost Peak. Overall there is about 5,000 feet of elevation gain with this route.
The second route is from the Cameron Creek trail, which is an 8.5 mile route to Cameron Pass. Continue following the trail for 1.9 miles to Lost Pass. But this route will require hiking from either Deer Park or, up the Gray Wolf, to reach the junction at Three Forks Camp, where the Cameron Creek Trail starts. There is just over 5,500 feet of elevation gain for this route.
 Lost Peak from Wellesley Basin
 Wellesley Peak from Lost Peak
Red Tape & Lost Peak PanoramaOne can obtain an Olympic National Park Permit at any trail head, which is five dollars per person to enter the Park, and two dollars a night per person to spend a night in the Park. If you enter Olympic National Park through a drive in entrance you will have to pay $15.00 per vehicle to enter.
Panorama from Lost Peak Summit |
CampingExcellent camping opportunties are available at Dose Meadow, Bear Camp, or Deception Creek, all within easy day-hiking distance of Lost Peak. These Camps along the Dosewallips River are usually available, even during the busiest month of August. Also, Cameron Basin to the north has camp sites available, but is a much more streneous way of reaching Lost Peak on a day hike, although highly scenic!
 Lost Peak at Sunset from Graywolf Pass Major Peaks from Lost Peak
Lost Peak Wildlife & Plant life
American Bistort at Sunset on Lost Peak |
 Olympic Marmot & American Bistort Flowers
A host of Marmots, Black Bears and Roosevelt Elk roam the slopes of Lost Peak. Please show respect for these animals and don't feed them. Also, many Olympic Wildflowers can be damaged easily, due to the altitude. This place should be preserved as much as possible
for others to enjoy and experience.
 Black Bear eating Blueberries
Images
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