Mount Rae Trail

Don't try this mountain early in the season. Mostly a slog with little to no scrambling. Slightly disappointing. Views are okay, but nothing special. The bodies of water that form near the base are worth a visit.

This is a scramble that demands experience! While the first part of the trail follows the easy Ptarmigan Cirque trail, after the end of the main cirque trail this route becomes increasingly difficult the further you ascend. At the end of the cirque (at the ridge between the main ridge and the outlier peak), the ascent becomes hands-on-scrambling-steep, and demands careful steps and hand placements at times. In the whole upper cirque area I have been told that rocks commonly fall often from above, so watch your head and listen attentively. Above the aforementioned ridge, the trail gets easier for a time before you reach the upper (summit) ridge. This ridge is one of the narrowest I personally have been on, and has LOTS of exposure with cliffs on either side assuring a NO-WIN scenario if you fall. While not appearing to be long in distance, this ridge can take a long time to traverse. In the end, the views are beautiful from the summit, but anyone who attempts this route should make sure they know what they’re doing, especially for the summit ridge section. I suffered a minor sprain in my ankle on the way down just after getting off the summit ridge last time I was up here, and thankfully managed to navigate the rest of the route decently well. As always, do your research before attempting this scramble and know the risks and your own ability levels!