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'''Panhandle Gap''' is a high pass on a ridge to the east of [[Mount Rainier]], lying near the low point between [[Little Tahoma Peak]] and the [[Cowlitz Chimneys]].<ref name="Schmoe"/>
'''Panhandle Gap''' is a high pass on a ridge to the east of [[Mount Rainier]], lying near the low point between [[Little Tahoma Peak]] and the [[Cowlitz Chimneys]].<ref name="Schmoe"/>


The hike along the [[Wonderland Trail]], which can be joined {{convert|0.1|mi}} from Fryingpan Creek Trailhead on [[Sunrise Road]], to the gap has been described as "possibly the best day hike" in [[Mount Rainier National Park]]; it is {{convert|10.6|mi}} roundtrip with {{convert|3,000|ft}} of elevation gain.<ref name=Huschke>{{cite book |last1=Huschke |first1=Kai |title=Washington's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide |date=2003 |publisher=Big Earth Publishing |isbn=978-1-56579-441-2 |page=184 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=810sTkxPTRYC&pg=PA184&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYx_H7vpmJAxXpODQIHdI0BpM4ChDoAXoECA8QAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Lazenby>{{cite book |last1=Lazenby |first1=Oliver |title=Hiking Washington: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures |date=2020 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-4124-4 |pages=100–102 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ijLRDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA100&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3hYC6tJmJAxXvJDQIHQc3HXgQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref> The hike is very popular<ref name=Huschke/> and it can be difficult to find parking at the trailhead.<ref name=Smoot/> Crossing Fryingpan Creek after Summerland can be hazardous,<ref name="Schmoe"/> and in winter and spring there can also be avalanche risk approaching the gap.<ref name=Smoot/> At around {{convert|6,750|ft}}, the gap is the highest point on the [[Wonderland Trail]] encircling the mountain.<ref name=Lazenby/> South of the gap, the Wonderland Trail continues towards Indian Bar<ref name=Smoot/> as the terrain drops off into Ohanapecosh Park, which drains into the [[Ohanapecosh River]].<ref name="Schmoe">{{cite book |last1=Schmoe |first1=Flyod |title=A Year in Paradise |date=1999 |publisher=Mountaineers Books |isbn=978-1-59485-631-0 |pages=171–172 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75ETCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA171&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3hYC6tJmJAxXvJDQIHQc3HXgQ6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref><ref name=auk>{{cite book |title=The Auk |date=1925 |publisher=American Ornithologists' Union |page=350 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DTrOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA350&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3hYC6tJmJAxXvJDQIHQc3HXgQ6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Lazenby/> The most popular climbing routes to [[Banshee Peak]] and the [[Cowlitz Chimneys]] arrive via Panhandle Gap, and while Banshee is a walk-up, the Middle Cowlitz Chimney can be climbed using a Class 2 [[scrambling]] route and the Main Chimney is Class 3.<ref name=Smoot>{{cite book |last1=Smoot |first1=Jeff |title=Climbing Washington's Mountains: 100 Classic Summit Routes to Washington's Cascade and Olympic Mountains |date=2021 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-5644-6 |page=319–321 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLQ2EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA320&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYx_H7vpmJAxXpODQIHdI0BpM4ChDoAXoECAoQAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref>
The hike along the [[Wonderland Trail]], which can be joined {{convert|0.1|mi}} from Fryingpan Creek Trailhead on [[Sunrise Road]], to the gap has been described as "possibly the best day hike" in [[Mount Rainier National Park]]; it is {{convert|10.6|mi}} roundtrip with {{convert|3,000|ft}} of elevation gain.<ref name=Huschke>{{cite book |last1=Huschke |first1=Kai |title=Washington's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide |date=2003 |publisher=Big Earth Publishing |isbn=978-1-56579-441-2 |page=184 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=810sTkxPTRYC&pg=PA184&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYx_H7vpmJAxXpODQIHdI0BpM4ChDoAXoECA8QAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Lazenby>{{cite book |last1=Lazenby |first1=Oliver |title=Hiking Washington: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures |date=2020 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-4124-4 |pages=100–102 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ijLRDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA100&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3hYC6tJmJAxXvJDQIHQc3HXgQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref> The hike is one of the most popular in the park, and can be crowded between late July and September,<ref name=Huschke/><ref name=Asars/> and it can be difficult to find parking at the trailhead.<ref name=Smoot/> It has been rated both easy<ref name=Huschke/> and strenuous.<ref name=Lazenby/> After Summerland, the trail can be hard to follow,<ref name=Huschke/><ref name=Lorain/> crossing Fryingpan Creek can be hazardous,<ref name="Schmoe"/> and in winter and spring there can also be avalanche risk approaching the gap.<ref name=Smoot/> At around {{convert|6,750|ft}}, the gap is the highest point on the [[Wonderland Trail]] encircling the mountain.<ref name=Lazenby/> South of the gap, the Wonderland Trail continues towards Indian Bar<ref name=Smoot/> and Box Canyon,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Elshult |first1=Suzanne |last2=Mansfield |first2=James Guy |title=A Dog's Devotion: True Adventures of a K9 Search and Rescue Team |date=2022 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-6872-2 |page=95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4h0EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA95&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYx_H7vpmJAxXpODQIHdI0BpM4ChDoAXoECAkQAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref> as the terrain drops off into Ohanapecosh Park, which drains into the [[Ohanapecosh River]].<ref name="Schmoe">{{cite book |last1=Schmoe |first1=Flyod |title=A Year in Paradise |date=1999 |publisher=Mountaineers Books |isbn=978-1-59485-631-0 |pages=171–172 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75ETCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA171&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3hYC6tJmJAxXvJDQIHQc3HXgQ6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref><ref name=auk>{{cite book |title=The Auk |date=1925 |publisher=American Ornithologists' Union |page=350 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DTrOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA350&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3hYC6tJmJAxXvJDQIHQc3HXgQ6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Lazenby/> The most popular climbing routes to [[Banshee Peak]] and the [[Cowlitz Chimneys]] arrive via Panhandle Gap, and while Banshee is a walk-up, the Middle Cowlitz Chimney can be climbed using a Class 2 [[scrambling]] route and the Main Chimney is Class 3.<ref name=Smoot>{{cite book |last1=Smoot |first1=Jeff |title=Climbing Washington's Mountains: 100 Classic Summit Routes to Washington's Cascade and Olympic Mountains |date=2021 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-5644-6 |page=319–321 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLQ2EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA320&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYx_H7vpmJAxXpODQIHdI0BpM4ChDoAXoECAoQAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref> On a clear day, [[Mount Adams (Washington)|Mount Adams]] is visible from Panhandle Gap,<ref name=Asars>{{cite book |last1=Asars |first1=Tami |title=Day Hiking: Mount Rainier: National Park, Crystal Mountain, Cayuse and Chinook Passes |date=2018 |publisher=Mountaineers Books |isbn=978-1-68051-011-9 |pages=Summerland and Panhandle Gap |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pd1dDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT86&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4-rroxJmJAxWvIDQIHSyhBZg4FBDoAXoECA0QAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref> but Mount Rainier itself is largely blocked by the ridge to the west.<ref name=Lorain/> Some through-hikers deviate to the Eastside Trail, an alternate route to avoid snow and potentially dangerous conditions around the gap.<ref name=Lorain>{{cite book |last1=Lorain |first1=Douglas |title=Backpacking Washington: From Volcanic Peaks to Rainforest Valleys |date=2011 |publisher=Wilderness Press |isbn=978-0-89997-546-7 |pages=188-189 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rkcN0dYE-vMC&pg=PA188&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4-rroxJmJAxWvIDQIHSyhBZg4FBDoAXoECAwQAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref>


Panhandle Gap is above the [[tree line]] and past Summerland, the terrain largely consists of rock and ice.<ref name=auk/><ref name=Lazenby/> The rock around the gap is more red than that found a short distance to the north, closer to Summerland.<ref name=Huschke/> Snow often covers the northern approach to the gap into late summer.<ref name="Schmoe"/><ref name=Smoot/> Species found at the gap include [[horned lark]], [[ptarmigan]], [[mountain goat]]s, ''[[Smelowskia]]'', and [[Tolmie's saxifrage]].<ref name=auk/><ref name="Schmoe"/>
Panhandle Gap is above the [[tree line]] and past Summerland, the terrain largely consists of rock and ice.<ref name=auk/><ref name=Lazenby/> The rock around the gap—partly consisting of [[hypersthene]] [[hornblende]] [[dacite]] that may have formed by [[Tatoosh intrusion]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Survey (U.S.) |first1=Geological |title=Geological Survey Professional Paper |date=1964 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=64 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5S9SAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA64&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYx_H7vpmJAxXpODQIHdI0BpM4ChDoAXoECA4QAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref> as well as [[andesite]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gillis |first1=Cheri Pompeo |title=50 Trail Runs in Washington |date=2002 |publisher=The Mountaineers Books |isbn=978-0-89886-715-2 |page=124 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=octzs-WPJKQC&pg=PA124&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4-rroxJmJAxWvIDQIHSyhBZg4FBDoAXoECAcQAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref> is more red than that found a short distance to the north, closer to Summerland.<ref name=Huschke/> Snow often covers the trail around the gap into late summer.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lorain |first1=Douglas |title=One Night Wilderness: Portland: Quick and Convenient Backcountry Getaways within Three Hours of the City |date=2010 |publisher=Wilderness Press |isbn=978-0-89997-543-6 |page=35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eHWtNc7ao08C&pg=PA35&dq=panhandle+gap&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4-rroxJmJAxWvIDQIHSyhBZg4FBDoAXoECAgQAg#v=onepage&q=panhandle%20gap&f=false |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Schmoe"/><ref name=Smoot/> Species found at the gap include [[horned lark]], [[ptarmigan]], [[mountain goat]]s, ''[[Smelowskia]]'', and [[Tolmie's saxifrage]].<ref name=auk/><ref name="Schmoe"/>
[[File:Panhandle Gap (13 October 2024) 12.jpg|thumb|center|upright=4|Panoramic view from Panhandle Gap; image starts to the west (13 October 2024)]]
[[File:Panhandle Gap (13 October 2024) 12.jpg|thumb|center|upright=4|Panoramic view from Panhandle Gap; image starts to the west (13 October 2024)]]


Revision as of 04:20, 19 October 2024

The Wonderland Trail crosses Panhandle Gap near the center of the image, taken from a knob to the west; in the upper right corner is the Banshee Peak massif above Sarvant Glacier (13 October 2024)
Snowfield covering Panhandle Gap (viewed from the northeast) on 24 August 2007

Panhandle Gap is a high pass on a ridge to the east of Mount Rainier, lying near the low point between Little Tahoma Peak and the Cowlitz Chimneys.[1]

The hike along the Wonderland Trail, which can be joined 0.1 miles (0.16 km) from Fryingpan Creek Trailhead on Sunrise Road, to the gap has been described as "possibly the best day hike" in Mount Rainier National Park; it is 10.6 miles (17.1 km) roundtrip with 3,000 feet (910 m) of elevation gain.[2][3] The hike is one of the most popular in the park, and can be crowded between late July and September,[2][4] and it can be difficult to find parking at the trailhead.[5] It has been rated both easy[2] and strenuous.[3] After Summerland, the trail can be hard to follow,[2][6] crossing Fryingpan Creek can be hazardous,[1] and in winter and spring there can also be avalanche risk approaching the gap.[5] At around 6,750 feet (2,060 m), the gap is the highest point on the Wonderland Trail encircling the mountain.[3] South of the gap, the Wonderland Trail continues towards Indian Bar[5] and Box Canyon,[7] as the terrain drops off into Ohanapecosh Park, which drains into the Ohanapecosh River.[1][8][3] The most popular climbing routes to Banshee Peak and the Cowlitz Chimneys arrive via Panhandle Gap, and while Banshee is a walk-up, the Middle Cowlitz Chimney can be climbed using a Class 2 scrambling route and the Main Chimney is Class 3.[5] On a clear day, Mount Adams is visible from Panhandle Gap,[4] but Mount Rainier itself is largely blocked by the ridge to the west.[6] Some through-hikers deviate to the Eastside Trail, an alternate route to avoid snow and potentially dangerous conditions around the gap.[6]

Panhandle Gap is above the tree line and past Summerland, the terrain largely consists of rock and ice.[8][3] The rock around the gap—partly consisting of hypersthene hornblende dacite that may have formed by Tatoosh intrusion[9] as well as andesite[10] is more red than that found a short distance to the north, closer to Summerland.[2] Snow often covers the trail around the gap into late summer.[11][1][5] Species found at the gap include horned lark, ptarmigan, mountain goats, Smelowskia, and Tolmie's saxifrage.[8][1]

Panoramic view from Panhandle Gap; image starts to the west (13 October 2024)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Schmoe, Flyod (1999). A Year in Paradise. Mountaineers Books. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-1-59485-631-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e Huschke, Kai (2003). Washington's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide. Big Earth Publishing. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-56579-441-2.
  3. ^ a b c d e Lazenby, Oliver (2020). Hiking Washington: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 100–102. ISBN 978-1-4930-4124-4.
  4. ^ a b Asars, Tami (2018). Day Hiking: Mount Rainier: National Park, Crystal Mountain, Cayuse and Chinook Passes. Mountaineers Books. pp. Summerland and Panhandle Gap. ISBN 978-1-68051-011-9.
  5. ^ a b c d e Smoot, Jeff (2021). Climbing Washington's Mountains: 100 Classic Summit Routes to Washington's Cascade and Olympic Mountains. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 319–321. ISBN 978-1-4930-5644-6.
  6. ^ a b c Lorain, Douglas (2011). Backpacking Washington: From Volcanic Peaks to Rainforest Valleys. Wilderness Press. pp. 188–189. ISBN 978-0-89997-546-7.
  7. ^ Elshult, Suzanne; Mansfield, James Guy (2022). A Dog's Devotion: True Adventures of a K9 Search and Rescue Team. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-4930-6872-2.
  8. ^ a b c The Auk. American Ornithologists' Union. 1925. p. 350.
  9. ^ Survey (U.S.), Geological (1964). Geological Survey Professional Paper. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 64.
  10. ^ Gillis, Cheri Pompeo (2002). 50 Trail Runs in Washington. The Mountaineers Books. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-89886-715-2.
  11. ^ Lorain, Douglas (2010). One Night Wilderness: Portland: Quick and Convenient Backcountry Getaways within Three Hours of the City. Wilderness Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-89997-543-6.
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