Hidden Creek backpacking trip slideshow.
Wrangell - St. Elias National Park: Hidden Creek Trip
This backpacking trip is a shorter part of a longer route we do, from Nugget Creek and the Kuskulana Glacier to Kennicott. Your hike starts at the Lakina River, in the Wrangell Mountains, just south of the glaring face of 16 000' Mt. Blackburn.
You'll hike up towards the mountain, crosscreek and ascend into one of the prettiest little alpine passes in the mountains - locals call it "Oz".
Backpacking this route is becoming more popular every year, and for good reason. It's not an overly difficult hike, though still challenging enough for most folks. It's also flexible with lots of options for exploring the many hanging valleys and ridges along the way. You'll have a blast up here.
The alpine pass between Hidden Creek drainage and the Lakina is simply gorgeous; green hilsides, alpine lakes, hanging glaciers and cirques on the mountaintops. You'll fall in love with this region.
Alpine Country
Stunning views are the order of the day up in the alpine country here. The Wrangell mountains provide some dramatic vertical relief. A fresh dump of snow up high followde by a bluebird day. The view from our campsite here.
Once over the pass, we descend the drainage alongside Hidden Creek down to Hidden Lake, what's known as a joukaloupe. Then we head north along the lateral moraine of the Kennicott Glacier to our destination at the Fosse.
This trip is the mid-section of the above Nugget Creek-Kennicott route. It's a good option for those maybe not quite up to the rigors of that particular route, but still looking for an adventurous hike in some amazing landscape. We get many of the same big views, with few miles to cross, and we avoid the 2 strenuous moraine crossings at either of the complete route.
This route is possible in just a few days, but really is a great option for a weeklong trip, allowing time to explore the massive high country up in the pass. The Hidden Creek is one of the prettiest little alpine valleys in the park, if not Alaska, and a real treat to hike through. We then cross a small ridge and ascend up the valley towards Mt. Blackburn and the 'the Fosse', a small depression between the glacier and the western ridge, next to the lateral moraine.
This trip is quite an adventure; we fly in to a landing strip at Nugget Creek, and backpack through the Wrangell mountains all the way back to Kennicott. Typically an 8-10 day walk for strong hikers. Not for the timid. The route involves some pretty rugged terrain, crossing the Kuskulana Glacier and moraine, as well as the Kennicott Glacier at trips' end. Few people hike this route all the way through, although the mid-section, from the Lakina River to the beginning of ther Kennicott Glacier, via Hidden Creek, is a common route.
Highlights on this trip include traversing a 7000' knife edge ridge, or arête, the gorgeous alpine entry in Hidden Creek valley, and crossing Kennicott Glacier toward the end of our route. Views of Mt Blackburn and Castle Peak are superb; we hike within a few miles of Castle Peak, a massive 10 000'+ peak. The route involves crossing a couple of rivers, nothing too major, but definitely something for folks who're good on their feet. The moraines of the Kuskulana and Kennicott glaciers are probably the toughest sections. We'll have some video from this trip online soon.