Gunn Peak

Summit: 6,238ft

Native lands of the: Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Tulalip and Skykomish

Hike stats: 5.7m 4,153ft gain

Gunn Peak is the highest point in the Wild Sky Wilderness just north of hwy 2 near Index, Washington. It had been on my radar for many years thanks to ‘Smoot’s climbing Washington’s mountains’ list and after climbing Baring Mountain it became a top priority. I had to see the massive north face of Baring with its 5,000ft of vertical relief surrounded by a sea of jagged peaks! Any hike on the Gunn Massif poses several hiking challenges with no official trails and very steep terrain!

Gunn Peak on the left from the Heybrook Lookout trail

The Gunn Massif – From Baring Mountain: Back left: Gunnshy Peak, back right: Gunn Peak, front left: Tailgunner, front right: Wing Peak

1st Trip: 9/20/25

Took a trip to Washington to support my wife during the Bellingham Bay marathon and was able to sneak in a sunrise hike! Sitting window when flying into Seattle on a nice day is a must!

We stayed in Bellingham the first 3 nights.

The race was Sunday so Friday we drove to one of our favorite places, Artist Point for a shakeout run with incredible views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan!

Picture Lake – lighting is better in the afternoon.

Friday night after dinner I packed up my gear and was ready to meet two friends to camp at a trailhead and hike Mount Forgotten but they had to bail moments before heading out. After some debate I changed course to one of my highest priority mountains, Gunn Peak!

I left Bellingham at 9:15pm and got to the Barclay Lake trailhead at 11:15pm. I did not bring a tent so I slept in our small rental SUV. I only slept for about 2 hours and was up and at it at 3:30am.

The hike starts with a tough creek crossing followed by traces of trail through major overgrowth with pokey devils club. There is no maintained trail but enough people have followed this route that there’s a clear climber’s path once you start gaining elevation. It was easy to follow, but brutally vertical. 3,000ft of gain over 1.5m. There was a lot of hand usage navigating the dense forecast by headlamp. Wearing my climbing helmet during this stretch was smart as I hit my head on a tree 3 times and was whacked by branches hundreds of times.

The crux below the tree line was a steep gully marked by a mountain goat carcass in a tree, but it was also straightforward thanks to being prepared. Once out in the open I had beautiful view of the stars and the distinct double-summit profile of Baring Mountain.

As I got above the tree line the sun began to crest over the horizon. I enjoyed watching the light grow while navigating around the Gunn Massif to the base of Gunn Peak.

At the base of Gunn is a boulder field rockslide that was fun to navigate.

Once the massive rock buttress was looming overhead, I followed a steep hidden ramp that traversed around to the north side of the peak to a little notch.

Looking south at Merchant, Wing and Baring.

At the notch a whole new view of the North Cascades awaited while the wind was ripping through it.

Past the notch was a narrow dirt ledge that I had to descend then ascend before a fun and easy scramble to the summit!

It was a glorious morning in the Wild Sky! I enjoyed the summit to myself for about 30 minutes.

The mountain’s shadow was out over Gunn Lake!

Baring Mountain and it’s glorious 5,000ft of vertical relief making it the 3rd steepest mountain in Washington.

Townsend and Eagle Rock up front with Mount Fernow and Cashmere in back.

Three Fingers, Whitehorse, Vesper, Sperry with Mount Baker behind.

Around 8am I retraced my steps down.

Mount Hinman, Bald Eagle Peak, Bears Breast, Silver Eagle Peak, Summit Chief Mountain

Before heading back into the forest I sought out the infinity tarn of my dreams and took a million pictures. A combination of wildfire smoke and clouds began to fill the valley, only adding to the mystique of the Wild Sky Wilderness.

From the tarn it was all downhill through the brushy 3,000ft and 1.5m of final terrain. I somehow managed to stay on my feet while getting beat up and stabbed by branches. I finally passed a few groups of nice people but seeing the pain in their eyes I was reminded why I like to start my hikes in the dark so the worst part is somewhat mindless.

Helmets are cool!

Made it down at 11am with my calves and thighs absolutely cooked and my mountain stoke reignited! Since living back in Georgia, I have not hit my doctor recommended benchmarks for peak bagging. To me climbing a mountain is the single greatest activity on earth and this was a great reinforcer of that! Driving down a dirt road with the windows down after a great hike with a full day ahead of you is also a great feeling!

Back in Bellingham we took it easy and meet up with great friends! I slept like a rock that night and while I was extremely sore I was pumped to support Ellie around the most beautiful marathon course I have ever seen. It started in the Lummi Nation with a special blessing from the Lummi tribe and circled Bellingham Bay. It was easy to navigate to different meeting points and every view was gorgeous.