Mt. Adams (known as Pahto or Klickitat to ancestral tribes) is the second-highest of the PNW Cascades Volcanoes. Located about halfway between Mt. Ranier in the Seattle area and Mt. Hood in the Portland area, this volcano often gets overlooked. The Pacific Crest Trail flanks the west side of the mountain, while the east of the peak is contained by the Yakama Nation. There are only a few trails in the Mt. Adams area (Tract-D) of the Yakama Nation, and none complete the loop. So to get around the mountain requires bushwacking or glacier climbing. The Yakama Nation has recently closed this section due to COVID-19, so please check with the website about closures. Permits are available at campsites.

Flowers on Mt. Adams in the Yakama Nation section (Phil Brundage)
The quickest way is to stay on the glaciers, which is how the fastest know time was set. Either route starts at the Cold Creek Campground at the south part of the mountain near Trout Lake, WA. Using the trails and glaciers on Tract-D is approximately 37 miles with 6600′ feet of climbing. This distance and elevation my not scare anyone, but be prepared for a long day as crossing glaciers and moraines can be very slow. Have a route planned and a mapping app before starting. Be aware that Big Muddy Creek can be a dangerous crossing. The high point of the route is Sunrise Camp at 8300′. There is a good chance of seeing mountain goats and marmots on this side. One of the highlights of the route is Devil’s Garden, a rock garden that looks like it’s from another planet. Views of the Goat Rocks and Mt. Ranier are spectacular from here. Look for the faint Highline Trail down from Rock Garden to continue on trails along the west side.`

The blue route uses trails and glaciers, while the red route is what was used on glaciers to set the FKT
CCW Route from Cold Springs Campground:
Up South Climb
Right- Round the Mountain
Left – Bird Meadow
Left – Trail of Flowers
Left – Scramble on East Side through Tract-D Yakama Nation (Sunrise Camp & Devil’s Garden)
Left – Highline Trail
Left -PCT
Left – Round the Mountain
Right- South Climb to Cold Springs Campground

Pacific Crest Trail flanks the western half of Mt. Adams (Phil Brundage)
Please know that the section of Mt Adams on Yakama tribal land (Tract D) has been closed all summer. The recent 2020 FKT was done WITHOUT permission from tribal authorities. Tract D IS open weekdays only for 3 weeks this month- Sept14-18, 21-25 and 28-Oct2. Contact TribalForestry@yakama.com for more details. We should all respect the sovereign rights of tribal people on lands we wish to visit.
Thanks John. As mentioned in the article, it is closed now due to COVID. We canceled our planned Adams circumnavigation last month due to the closure. I haven’t seen anything about the 2020 FKT on fastestknowntime.com. I’m guessing it was voided due to the closure.