Region
Highlights
- Mount Adams is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range and the second-highest mountain in Washington.
- Adams is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, and is one of the arc's largest volcanoes, located in a remote wilderness 31 miles east of Mount St. Helens.
- The Mount Adams Wilderness comprises the upper and western part of the volcano's cone. The eastern side of the mountain is part of the Yakama Nation.
- Adams' asymmetrical and broad body rises 1.5 miles above the Cascade crest. Its nearly flat summit was formed as a result of cone-building eruptions from separated vents.
- The volcano has a volume of 85 cubic miles placing it second only to Mount Shasta in terms of bulk among the Cascade stratovolcanoes.
- The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the western flank of the mountain.
- Mt. Adams South Climb/South Spur Route brings you to the highest nontechnical summit in Washington, and one of the highest points in the Pacific Northwest
- Some of the best glissading in the state
Routes
84 climbs • 12.4 mi • 6,686 ft gain • 13 hr 16 min
6 climbs • 16.9 mi • 7,966 ft gain • 24 hr 24 min
Latest climbs

"Snow to 1/2 mile of TH but don’t try to go farther or you’ll be digging out your car like we did. Park within 1 mile of TH but not at the current end as there’s no room there. Great corn snow at noon in full sun with freezing level at 11k. The summit push isn’t frozen either. SW chutes are IN and the most amazing ski run in Washington at 5000’ of drop at 40 degrees.
" — castrode • May 31, 2024

"Squeezed in one last big day on Mount Adams - Adams is a 12,281’ stratovolcano in The Cascades - second largest in Washington only to Rainier. From the summit you can see Hood, Saint Helens and Rainier.
We set out around 5am after acquiring permits the night before. It was a big day, 11 hours with over 7,500’ of climbing over about 16 miles of skinning, glacier travel on crampons and the most amazing 4,000 ski descent through slushy corn. Blessed by picturesque weather and mostly clear skis.
Adams is a grind but it was worth the work. Running my marathon two weeks ago was easier than the grind up to the mostly-flat summit. " — wiweasel • May 20, 2024

"July 9, 2022. Started at 3am. Snow starts 1.3 miles from the trailhead, put on microspikes and used them until switching to crampons at Lunch Counter. Windy (30mph) up to Pikers and it slowed slightly towards the summit. Reach the summit at 8:45am. Descended at 9am. Solid snowpack on the way up and slushy back down at Lunch Counter. No snowshoes needed. With Mac. " — runningvegan • Jul 9, 2022

"A one-day summit trek spanning 14.5 hours and 6700EG of climbing. Weather was fantastic on the summit. Running water was accessible along the entire route, and even the summit lookout cabin was visible! A definitely tiring experience that won’t be repeated this late in the season. " — sklarguy • Jul 13, 2021

"Drove up from Vegas to climb Mount Adams and Mount Baker with LVMC. Adams was first. We decided to do the South Climb as a dayhike. There wasn't nearly as much snow as there usually is on the mountain, so it was a bit more difficult/miserable than planned, but we made the best of it. The views of Hood, Jefferson, Rainier and St. Helens were fantastic, even if it was a little hazy. Made it up and down with no issues. We didn't get to glissade as much as we were hoping, but still managed a total of about 1700-2000 feet of glissading. Next is Baker (hopefully)" — Kevin • Jul 12, 2021

"The road to the South Climb Trailhead is blocked by a large snow bank about 1 mi before the Cold Springs CG, so I carried my overnight gear the short distance and camped the night before the climb. It was a rough night - a small weather system brought wind, cold, and snow down to 5600 ft elevation. I was in a tarp tent and had some trouble keeping warm and dry, but managed to get a few hours sleep. I woke up at 3:30a, packed, made coffee, and was moving by 4:20a. I had melted snow for water the night before.
The morning was cold and very windy, but the precip had stopped. I started by headlamp, following some fresh ski tracks. Progress was somewhat slow due to the fresh powder, but higher up I began to find patches of wind-scoured rime ice which was more efficient for hiking. Higher still, the powder was wind-packed into a slabby layer, but probably not thick enough to cause a slide concern. On several occasions I was hit by small snow cyclones that would periodically come down the south slope. Between Pikers and the summit, the surface was almost entirely rime ice that formed a breakable crust. Powerful cold wind was whipping over the summit, but I was able to take shelter behi..." — klotito • May 28, 2021

"One day push from south climbers trailhead. Brought a first time climber with me to see if I could convert another flat lander. Left the parking lot at 9:30 and had a nice walk to about 7500 ft before hitting the snow. Got to lunch counter at 12:30 and dropped the camping gear off in a great rock shelter near some running meltoff. After lunch and hydrating took on the south face. Our pace was really slowed by my newbie and the heat. At 11,000 ft my companion hit his limit so went the rest of the way solo. Brisk winds at the top but clear skies to Rainier and St Helens. The glissade chutes were icy and the top and slushy at the bottom but still made for a fun decent and saved the legs from down stepping. Fantastic, windless night at the lunch counter. The Saturday crowds were coming up as we finished our decent and made it back to the car exactly 24 hrs after we left. Not sure my friend will ever climb another mountain but good memories were made! " — oregon-mt-goat • Jul 17, 2020

"A very difficult but beautiful and nontechnical climb via the South Spur, with just unbelievable views the whole way up, but especially on the summit. Overall rating 10/10, a bucket list climb for anyone in the northwest looking to climb one of its highest peaks with minimal technical difficulty. " — MountainQuest • Jul 17, 2020

"Camped at Glacier lake to summit, then back to camp. 8000' elevation gain. Crampons were worn from 2750m to summit. Full fall conditions, and Ice lead to a longer summit day. Didn't see a person in the 3 days." — ken_hercules • Oct 12, 2019

"Part II - Climb to the summit from Lunch Counter Left for the summit from Lunch Counter around 4:30 a.m. with our crampons on. The sunrise at 5:30 a.m. was spectacular. Climbed up the snow fields most of the way and across rocky scree areas in places. The suncups were prominent, deep in places and endless. Overall, it was a straight-forward climb on the way up to the summit with an ice axe, crampons and one pole. The views from the summit were amazing on this clear day. From the summit you could most of the Cascade Range volcanoes (Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, Mt Hood, Mt Jefferson, Mt Baker, and Glacier Peak). it was spectacular!.We glissaded on the descent in multiple places. This was quite fun, but beware of the occasional rocks given the low and slushy snow conditions. After descending to our camp at Lunch Counter, we packed up and hiked the rest of the long and hot trail back to the trailhead. I definitely recommend getting an early start and returning before it gets too late in the day and the snow conditions deteriorate further. The wildflowers and burnt tree trunks make for a very dramatic hike." — joeerickson • Aug 6, 2019