Forum Index > Trip Reports > Citadel Loop, September 19-21, 2022
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ALW Hiker
lakebagger



Joined: 27 Jul 2021
Posts: 120 | TRs | Pics
Location: Redmond, WA
ALW Hiker
lakebagger
PostFri Sep 23, 2022 5:14 pm 
I put together what I’ve been calling the “Citadel Loop” - a three day, high-altitude lakebagging romp around the SE side of Mount Daniel. There are nine alpine lakes on this loop, seven of them new to me - I visited Squaw Lake and Peggy’s Pond last year. The other lakes I visited were, in order: Circle Lake, Venus Lake, Spade Lake, Deadhead Lake, Lake Vicente, Deer Lakes, and Deep Lake. This hike was inspired in large part by this trip report by rubywrangler from 2018. I had considered doing a similar loop, but also including Waptus Lake, which would have worked, but was a lot longer and would have required an extra night. The critical piece of that earlier trip report, and some others I found later, was the feasibility of getting from Deadhead Lake to Lake Vicente. This is probably one of my favorite trips so far - the reward to effort ratio on this route is outstanding. On top of that, I hardly saw any other people the entire time - most were around Peggy's Pond or Cathedral Pass. At this time of year when the snow is mostly gone, this "backdoor" route to Spade and Venus seems superior to the normal route in pretty much every way.
The loop part of the route
The loop part of the route
Day 1: Cathedral Pass TH to Circle Lake This was the short day on my trip. I parked at the Cathedral Pass TH after driving the long, but freshly graded and packed road - no potholes! There were only about 8 other cars in the parking lot when I left at the crack of 12:30 PM on a sunny Monday.
Cathedral tarn
Cathedral tarn
Late flowers
Late flowers
I made it to Cathedral Pass in short order, seeing absolutely no one on the trail. Near the pass, I saw three hikers on the PCT heading south. I ran into another guy coming from Peggy’s Pond - he said he saw two bears earlier right on the Cathedral Pass Trail. I didn’t see them, but I saw plenty of bear scat throughout the hike. I continued on to Peggy’s Pond, taking the old trail for a change, which I actually thought was nicer than the new trail. It was interesting seeing the remains of the large cabin overlooking Deep Lake.
looking to my destination - Circle Lake and The Citadel
looking to my destination - Circle Lake and The Citadel
cabin remains below Peggy's
cabin remains below Peggy's
Leaving Peggy’s Pond, I turned left at the cairn marking the Mount Daniel summit route and proceeded up. The views get better with every step on this trail! GPS helped in finding the turnoff to the Circle Lake Trail, or you can take a trail left either above or below a very zig-zaggy set of scree switchbacks. The trail to Circle Lake is generally in good shape, though there are a few places where one can lose it. Fortunately, the terrain is wide open and it’s not hard to reacquire the route. I came across one guy day hiking to Circle from Peggy’s Pond, which is a nice day hike combined with explorations up the ridge to Daniel.
climbing past Peggy's
climbing past Peggy's
high alpine goodness
high alpine goodness
scree switchbacks - you can go left above or below these to meet the Circle Lake Trail
scree switchbacks - you can go left above or below these to meet the Circle Lake Trail
en route to Circle and The Citadel
en route to Circle and The Citadel
I arrived at Circle Lake about four and a half hours into my hike, just in time to set up camp and explore the slopes south of the outlet while my dinner was rehydrating. Elevation gain for the day was a reasonable 3200’. It was quite windy as I was setting up camp in the tent site overlooking the lake. I felt like I needed a few extra pairs of hands as I was trying to hold my tent down to attach the poles and stake it to the ground. Fortunately, the wind died down overnight and I had a very peaceful night and a really nice sunrise in the morning.
arriving above Circle
arriving above Circle
Circle from outlet end
Circle from outlet end
tent views
tent views
Exploring above Circle in the evening light
Exploring above Circle in the evening light
Stuart and Ingalls capturing the last light
Stuart and Ingalls capturing the last light
Ursa Major over Daniel SE ridge
Ursa Major over Daniel SE ridge
Day 2: Circle Lake to Lake Vicente This day was the heart of my plan, and it turned out to be just as awe-inspiring as I imagined it. It was a longish day, but not ridiculously so - about 10 hours and somewhere between 8 and 9 miles. The elevation gain was quite manageable at about 2500’, mixed with liberal amounts of descent. From Circle Lake, I ascended the slopes SW of the outlet, first on heather and shortly onto rock. There are bootpaths here and there, and even an occasional cairn, but for the most part it’s just choose your own adventure. The going is easy with a mixture of looser rock and solid rock, but generally not too steep. I had two possible routes planned - one that headed for Citadel Pass just NW of The Citadel, and other that veered more north. I chose the Citadel Pass route since it seemed like it would be more interesting. This worked out well, and there is a bootpath near the pass on both sides of the ridge. The lower route would have also worked, and would have gone by a large snowmelt tarn, but might have been a bit sketchier near the top. At one point I came across a moderate angle “snowfield” about 30' wide that I was going to cross. However, when I put my boot on it, I discovered it was solid ice, hard as a rock. Having neither crampons nor an ice axe with me, I made a detour around the bottom of it. There is no difficulty finding snow-free routes up there now.
Cathedral to Stuart sunrise
Cathedral to Stuart sunrise
Morning mirror at Circle
Morning mirror at Circle
Ascending easy slopes
Ascending easy slopes
First view of the citadel - you can't see the summit area until you get quite a ways up
First view of the citadel - you can't see the summit area until you get quite a ways up
Daniel south spur - Citadel Pass at left
Daniel south spur - Citadel Pass at left
The "snowfield" I elected not to cross!
The "snowfield" I elected not to cross!
Secret flowers at Citadel Pass - from a distance all you can see is barren rock!
Secret flowers at Citadel Pass - from a distance all you can see is barren rock!
Faint paths and views of Daniel on the east side of Citadel Pass
Faint paths and views of Daniel on the east side of Citadel Pass
Circle from Citadel Pass
Circle from Citadel Pass
The views from Citadel Pass are jaw-dropping. Of course, Daniel and all of its complex summits are right in your face, along with Circle Lake and The Citadel. But to the west, you have huge Spade Lake and the entire Stone Kingdom laid out in a breathtaking panorama. Bears Breast Mountain is especially impressive from this vantage point. I walked along the easy ridge to the tree-covered high point north of the pass, where the views are even better.
Spade and Stone Kingdom
Spade and Stone Kingdom
Daniel and the treed high point north of Citadel Pass
Daniel and the treed high point north of Citadel Pass
Daniel
Daniel
Large tarn below and north of the pass
Large tarn below and north of the pass
Me enjoying the awesome views - a bit windy up here!
Me enjoying the awesome views - a bit windy up here!
Citadel from the pass
Citadel from the pass
From the pass, you can’t really see the route down to Venus Lake, but I knew where it was based on topo maps and earlier reports. Also, the bootpath down the top section of scree was an unexpected but helpful feature. There was a herd of about 10 mountain goats just on the west side of the pass. They kept a close eye on me as I walked through their turf, traversing to the unseen ridge above Venus Lake. The scree isn’t too bad here and I shortly made it down to the lower-angle slopes where the loose rock gives way to solid rock and more vegetation. Some of the tarns are dried up, but many remain is this area, with some of the most beautiful scenery on the trip. Making my way over the slabs and down gullies here and there was pretty straightforward. As the earlier trip report stated, you want to generally stay right, but veer left when you get cliffed out on the right, and you’ll find your way down to the Venus outlet. I had to downclimb one 20' high section, but I am sure there was probably an easier way around if I cared to look for it. There are some bootpaths and cairns in this part, but not enough to rely on.
The shadow knows! It points me right at the bootpath down
The shadow knows! It points me right at the bootpath down
Goat herd and Hinman
Goat herd and Hinman
Looking back at the route down and Citadel
Looking back at the route down and Citadel
Goats checking me out
Goats checking me out
Bears Breast - yowza!
Bears Breast - yowza!
Getting off the scree onto some nicer terrain
Getting off the scree onto some nicer terrain
Tarn central, with Daniel
Tarn central, with Daniel
Stone Kingdom views
Stone Kingdom views
More tarnage
More tarnage
First look at Venus - still a ways down!
First look at Venus - still a ways down!
YAT (yet another tarn)
YAT (yet another tarn)
Spade
Spade
Venus outlet - closer!
Venus outlet - closer!
The brief crux I downclimbed
The brief crux I downclimbed
Meadowy shelves
Meadowy shelves
Arriving at Venus Lake for the first time was awesome. The aquamarine color of the water is amazing, and of course it’s a stunning backdrop below sheer slopes leading of Mount Daniel. The water seemed pretty cold to me, but almost all the snow is now gone on the surrounding slopes. It was interesting to see the well-developed trail heading over the pass on the west side of the lake - something to explore another day. I then followed the well-marked path from Venus down to Spade Lake. Spade Lake is not as “raw” as Venus, but looked like it would be a fun place to hang out for a few days. Tons of great swimming options, whether you like nice beaches or cliff-jumping, plus so many great camp sites, meadows, and beautiful deep blue waters. The trail around the lake took longer than I thought, but eventually I was on my way down the Spade Lake Trail toward Waptus Lake.
Cool rock and Venus Lake, with Daniel
Cool rock and Venus Lake, with Daniel
Venus outlet
Venus outlet
Venus outlet creek
Venus outlet creek
Looking back up the ridge I came down - easy stuff
Looking back up the ridge I came down - easy stuff
Venus outlet waterfall
Venus outlet waterfall
Venus
Venus
Venus outlet canyon
Venus outlet canyon
Walking down slabby rock to Spade
Walking down slabby rock to Spade
Spade Lake
Spade Lake
Spade beaches
Spade beaches
Spade looking back toward Venus
Spade looking back toward Venus
Spade meadows
Spade meadows
Spade
Spade
Spade outlet end
Spade outlet end
Spade and Ares
Spade and Ares
I came across another solo hiker on her way up to Spade, having stayed at Waptus the night before. I gave her some tips on Spade and Venus, as best I could - both of us were “newbies” to this area! I can see where the Spade Lake Trail gets its bad reputation - even in the top section I hiked, there were some pretty rough patches and a lot of ups and downs. I left the trail just where it dropped below 5400’ for the last time, and headed cross country in a generally eastward direction toward Deadhead Lake. I ultimately aimed for the ridge west of the lake, just north of a rock outcropping at about 5600’. There were a few good viewpoints along the way, and one slabby creek bed with some nice flowers and a bit of water in it. Generally the bushwhacking was not terrible, but there were a few steep sections here and there and occasional brush.
Views from the top of Spade Lake Trail - Little Big Chief and Bears Breast
Views from the top of Spade Lake Trail - Little Big Chief and Bears Breast
Slabby creek after leaving the Spade Lake Trail
Slabby creek after leaving the Spade Lake Trail
Some open bushwhacking
Some open bushwhacking
Some less open bushwhacking
Some less open bushwhacking
Viewpoint down to Waptus Lake
Viewpoint down to Waptus Lake
Arrived at the ridge west of Deadhead Lake - Mount Jerry Garcia on the other side
Arrived at the ridge west of Deadhead Lake - Mount Jerry Garcia on the other side
My big welcome surprise of the day was when I discovered a very good bootpath leading from the ridge down to Deadhead Lake. It took me about an hour to beat my way over to the ridge, but only ten minutes to get down to the lake on the trail. At the lake I found two very nice campsites, and another trail that appeared to follow the outlet stream downhill - maybe it connects with the Spade Lake Trail farther down? Deadhead Lake was a really nice place to lounge about and take a dip in the water, recharging my batteries for the final climb ahead.
Nice path down to Deadhead Lake
Nice path down to Deadhead Lake
Deadhead Lake
Deadhead Lake
Deadhead Lake
Deadhead Lake
I was planning to bushwhack up to Deadhead Pass to the north via the east side of the lake. However, given the existence of the trail on the west side, I elected to take the trail back to the ridge, then follow the ridge all the way around the west and north side to Deadhead Pass. This worked really well, as once you’re on that ridge it’s wide open, easy walking, and not too steep. The views of The Stone Kingdom and Mount Jerry Garcia are nonstop from up here. I started traversing right toward the pass at about 5300’, then dropped my pack once I reached the north ridge. I climbed from here up to the high point to the NW. The views of Vicente Point, Citadel and Daniel from this point were tremendous, though the drop-offs to the north were a bit unnerving! I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Lake Vicente, but it’s too deep below cliffs to see from this point.
Looking back down the ridge as I go up - I bushwhacked to a spot near the rock outcrop you see here
Looking back down the ridge as I go up - I bushwhacked to a spot near the rock outcrop you see here
Jerry Garcia and Deadhead Pass to the left
Jerry Garcia and Deadhead Pass to the left
Continuing up the ridge
Continuing up the ridge
Steep drop-offs to the NE
Steep drop-offs to the NE
Climbing up to point 6542 (approx)
Climbing up to point 6542 (approx)
Vicente Point, Citadel, Daniel
Vicente Point, Citadel, Daniel
Looking back at the route up and Deadhead Lake
Looking back at the route up and Deadhead Lake
Returning to my pack and Deadhead Pass, I explored around a bit. There seemed to be a possible trail heading south down a gully that might lead to the lake, but it looked sketchy and was definitely not in the same shape as the path on the other end. Something to try on my next visit, maybe. On the north side of the pass, I found the bootpath mentioned in earlier trip reports behind a pile of fallen and weathered trees. The bootpath is really nice and takes you all the way down the steep slopes until you reach the treed section visible on the satellite photo that looks like a backwards “L”. From here, the path basically disappears, though a cairn seems to indicate that it continues straight down into the trees. The earlier trip reporter followed this down into the gully, eventually leading to the Lake Vicente Trail down in the meadows, so I am pretty sure this is the route the bootpath creators (whoever they are) intended. Since my destination for the night was Lake Vicente, I instead chose to continue traversing across the scree slopes to the left of the outcropping above Vicente at about 5800’. This did work, but it was probably my least favorite part of the whole hike. There were some very sketchy packed dirt gullies to cross, and the scree sections were very taxing at the end of a long day. I had poles with me, but the poles would slide down hill with every plant, just like my feet did, so it was a real struggle to hold elevation. Many times, I considered plunging down the scree to the flatter terrain about 100’ below, but I didn’t really feel like climbing back up 100’ of scree to regain the ridge at the other end, so I held my course. By the time I reached the lake, my legs were toast and I was out of water, but happy to have reached my destination safely!
Bizarre trail-like gap above Deadhead Pass - handy!
Bizarre trail-like gap above Deadhead Pass - handy!
Deadhead Pass meadows
Deadhead Pass meadows
North side bootpath starts behind these trees
North side bootpath starts behind these trees
The way down
The way down
Bootpath
Bootpath
No more path!
No more path!
Sketchy dirt gully
Sketchy dirt gully
Continuing toward Vicente
Continuing toward Vicente
More scree
More scree
Done with the scree about 250' above the lake
Done with the scree about 250' above the lake
Lake Vicente, finally!
Lake Vicente, finally!
I set up camp at a very nice site on the other side of the outlet. Lake Vicente had no wind and was a great place to spend the night - pretty awesome scenery in a deep bowl below the Citadel and Vicente Point. The reddish-brown color of the slopes is something to see here. I did notice that in one of the campsites, several large spine pieces and some sort of leg bone were lying on the ground - kind of freaked me out thinking what sort of animal had been eaten or eating here! But the bones had clearly been around for years and I didn’t see any signs of recent activity.
Vicente and Citadel
Vicente and Citadel
Large spine in one of the tent sites
Large spine in one of the tent sites
Vicente camp
Vicente camp
Day 3: Lake Vicente to Cathedral Pass TH Another awesome sunrise on Day 3 at Lake Vicente lit up the hillsides. It was very difficult to get a decent picture of the lake since it kept acting like a mirror, LOL. Leaving the lake, I was really glad I hadn’t descended all the way to the basin the night before, since the last ¼ mile of the trail to Vicente climbs about 400’ over some really steep bits. The headwall below the lake has a nice canyon and waterfalls - would be cool to see it in springtime. The meadows in this basin are beautiful and I even saw a family of deer on my way out. Some frost covered the plants in the basin - early signs of fall, along with the leaves starting to turn. The trail down this basin is sometimes more of a suggestion than a trail, but I only lost it one time so I made it to Deer Lakes in about an hour. Not too much to see there, other than some cool rock outcroppings.
Vicente morning mirror
Vicente morning mirror
Stuart in silhouette
Stuart in silhouette
Vicente
Vicente
Worst part of the trail down the headwall
Worst part of the trail down the headwall
Yes, the trail goes right up this
Yes, the trail goes right up this
The alternate descent gully from Deadhead Pass at left
The alternate descent gully from Deadhead Pass at left
Oh deer!
Oh deer!
Point 6542 in the middle, plus a good shot at the route to Vicente below cliffs
Point 6542 in the middle, plus a good shot at the route to Vicente below cliffs
Deer Lakes
Deer Lakes
I stopped off at Deep Lake on my way back to Cathedral Pass - this must be a very popular place during PCT season - so many campsites around the lake and near the PCT junction. I’m still puzzling about why they called it “Deep Lake” since most of the lake seems extremely shallow. Probably the same guy that named “Circle Lake” even though it seems roughly peanut–shaped, ha ha. I climbed the long but relaxing switchbacks on the PCT up to Cathedral Pass, admiring the fall colors. I hadn’t seen anyone all day except one PCT hiker ahead of me as I was leaving Deep Lake. As I reached Cathedral Pass, it started to be more of a party - several people near the pass, and at least a dozen people headed up the trail between the pass and Squaw Lake. Still, when I got back to the car there were only about 9 cars again - a far cry from the 30+ cars parked up the road at the Hyas Lake / Deception Pass TH.
Deep Lake meadows
Deep Lake meadows
Deep Lake
Deep Lake
Good look back up Vicente Basin
Good look back up Vicente Basin
PCT south of Cathedral Pass
PCT south of Cathedral Pass
Cathedral Pass Trail
Cathedral Pass Trail

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RichP
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Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 5628 | TRs | Pics
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RichP
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PostMon Sep 26, 2022 8:30 pm 
Fantastic loop and great lake bagging foray. Hoping to visit some of these areas myself in the future.

ALW Hiker
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jimmymac
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Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 3705 | TRs | Pics
Location: Lake Wittenmyer, WA
jimmymac
Zip Lock Bagger
PostSat Oct 01, 2022 2:35 pm 
Great captures of a beautiful area. Thanks for the time and effort you had to have put into creating your TR!

"Profound serenity is the product of unfaltering Trust and heightened vulnerability."

ALW Hiker
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