"Terrence's trip report from WTA We are the Mountain Goats, Nathan (16) and Terrence (13), and on Saturday, one of us (Terrence) climbed Del Campo by way of Gothic Basin. We left the trailhead at Barlow Pass at 8:00, hoping to be able to get our hike in before the weather turned. The Monte Cristo road is very flat for the first mile until you cut off to the new Weeden Creek trail. This stays pretty flat for another mile or so and then you start to gain elevation quickly. You are still in the woods here, but the trail gets steep with a few switchbacks. At about 3 miles you break out of the woods, crossing some creeks and then the trail turns pretty rocky and bouldery, still gaining quite a bit of elevation. The views here in the valley are great, especially Silver Tip Peak. We got into Gothic Basin at about 10:40 - the weather, which had been low clouds was now starting to clear a little bit. The Basin is beautiful and rocky, with little lakes and trails everywhere. You are surrounded by high ridges and mountains here and the views are great. There were a few people camping, but overall it was pretty quiet. At Foggy Lake, we went around the right side and picked up ..." — BryHong8 • Sep 7, 2019

"Kicking of Day 1 of the first annual PEAK WEEK with a Cascade classic... Dave and I made it to the TH at Barlow Pass by 7am. A fog layer completely burned off by the time we emerged into Gothic Basin. Made it to Foggy Lake by 9:30 and then pushed up the standard South Gully Route. Only had to cross 1 patch of moderate angle snow that'd softened so crampons never made it out of pack. Exciting airy scramble up to one of the best summit views I've ever experienced. On the summit at 11:15. A marine layer shrouded all signs of civilization to the west... and so it was a pure 360 of dramatic rocky-and-snow-capped peaks. After a few Snickers back at Foggy Lake we felt recharged and decided to go for another one... Gothic Peak. The ascent up Gothic was straightforward until we ended up too high up on the ridge and had to do a bit of sketchy traversing above a big snow moat. Back on route, we enjoyed the stairs-like final scramble to another great summit. Going down we got a bit turned around in Gothic Basin (par for the course it seems) and after the long, rugged descent we hobbled back to the car by 5:20pm. A fortuitous drive-by find of Spar Tree in Granite Falls fueled us back up w..." — scott • Aug 1, 2016

"We weren't the only ones with the idea to get out on a beautiful fall day. We were really surprised with the number of people camping up in Gothic Basin (47 signed in to camp overnight). Fortunately, the entire basin area is big enough to handle quite a few people. We ran into several people hiking out in the morning as we headed up, and ran into several more coming in to camp as we descended in the afternoon. We really like starting climbs on the old Monte Cristo Road, as it's a nice easy way to get going on flat ground - looks like Monte Cristo is finally closed for environmental clean up according to the posted signs. The Weeden Creek/Gothic Basin Trail really lulls you into thinking that you're in for a nice easy ascent, until you eventually realize that almost all the elevation gain to the basin is in the last quarter of the hike. Lots of boulders, roots, and some trees over the ever-steepening trail make the final push to the basin a great workout. The basin is beautiful - a myriad of trails, meadows, and small lakes and ponds surrounded by spectacular mountains and rock walls. We made our way up to Foggy Lake, which was gorgeous and clear - beautifully reflecting Del Cam..." — BryHong8 • Oct 4, 2015

"There is a sign less than a mile down Monte Cristo Road/Trail that warns of damage to the road ahead due to mud slides, directing hikers instead to take a bypass trail. I learned on the way out that this is not necessary as the road seems to be repaired, despite the sign. At the outhouse I took the trail marked "Weeden Creek". The trail is well maintained although slightly overgrown in a few spots, and occasionally very steep. A half moon was visible over the mountain for my entire ascent to the lake. There are only 2 snow patches left on the South face of Del Campo Peak, 3-4 on Gothic Peak, and one large one on the saddle between hugging the edge of Foggy Lake. I skirted around the right side of the lake and followed the bootpath up a small ridge toward Del Campo where I ran into a group of cavers from Seattle who were preparing to make the climb. They headed up while I had a snack and rested up with Maverick. I watched a pair of older gentleman as they emerged from behind a small ridge to the West and just below the summit, and then traversed to the east across the South face a few hundred feet above where the rock face meets the talus field. They seemed to have remained f..." — Jeb • Oct 7, 2012