Mount Gladstone

Route Description for Mount Gladstone

The scramble up Mount Gladstone is a great route, however, there is a bit of trail-finding and bushwhacking. We suggest taking a GPS device with the map loaded to assist you on this scramble. From your parking spot, make your way along the barbed wire fence for 328ft, then contour left along a road leading into the forest. Here you need to keep your eyes out because taking the wrong trail can lead to a much longer and trying day! DO NOT take the wide, obvious trail leading upstream that looks like a horse trail. If you take this route there will be a faint trail with many river crossings, a lot of trail-finding, and bushwhacking. Instead, continue past this point to find an ATV trail which will lead you through the forest to a single river crossing. Once you cross the creek you will see a cairn marking a trail heading into the bush. This trail is obvious, but long sections of it have been taken over by alder bushes and you may have to plow through them. The trail is in reasonable condition aside from a few washouts and a mudslide higher up the creek. Continue around the base of Mount Gladstone, as the trail trends to the right and goes across numerous avalanche paths. This would be a terrible winter route, however, in summer the avalanche paths allow views as you are out of the trees. Eventually you come out of the trees and you reach the base of the general route up Mount Gladstone. This is towards the westernmost of several partially forested scree ribs. The scree on this rib is generally very stable and patches of vegetation help when it is not. Once you reach the low point on the ridge separating Mount Gladstone from North Castle, travel from this point to the summit, 1.2mi away and 656ft higher, is very easy. Views from the summit are nice in all directions and the view of Castle Peak to the southwest is absolutely spectacular. To get back to your car at Mill Creek, follow the alternate descent route, scree skiing most of the way down with a few little zig zags to avoid problematic sections. The scree here is very loose and would be quite difficult to ascend. Continue back the way you came.