Total elevation gained on this Class 3 Route is an initial elevation loss of 640 feet from the Jackson Glacier Overlook on Going-to-the-Sun Highway to the trail junction near Reynolds Creek and then an elevation gain of 5,412 feet from Gunsight Pass Trail junction to the summit of Mount Jackson.
This total gain and loss of 6,052 feet does not include the numerous ups and downs on the trail from the suspension bridge on the St. Mary’s River below the trail head to the suspension bridge at the outlet of Gunsight Lake.
The Northeast Ridge Route Description:
Depart from the Jackson Glacier Overlook and travel 1.3 miles down to the junction with the Gunsight Pass Trail. Cross the suspension bridge over Reynolds Creek and follow the trail along the St. Mary's River for another 4.9 miles to the outlet of Gunsight Lake.
After crossing the suspension bridge, one person at a time, take a left at the obvious junction and follow that hiker’s trail for about 1 mile until crossing over the forested ridge below Mount Jackson. Beyond this trail lie the Blackfoot Glacier Basin as well as Mount Logan and Almost a Dog Pass as well as numerous other desirable destinations.
After crossing the ridge begin looking up the slope for a logical place to begin climbing. The slopes actually open up and there are some nice sloped slabs that are interspersed with vegetation. Climbing through these lower is easily accomplished and is a good warm up for the upper (read: steeper) scree slopes that are yet to come. Keep working through these slopes by angling up to the left. Do not aim for the end of the ridge above, as it will require climbing up and down along the ridge to reach the beginning of the route instead aim for a point further up the ridge that is flat and appears to not have cliffs.
Be cautious to not knock rocks down hill on this route. Rocks travel fast on this hard packed rock/soil slopes. Climb together as a group and do not traverse above others.
After reaching the North ridge the most difficult part of the climb is done.
Now it is a matter of finding and staying on the correct route. Most of the route takes place on the Gunsight Lake side of the ridge leading to the summit. There are only two areas that require class 3 or 4 climbing and the intervening portions are class 2 or 3 scrambling depending upon the chosen route.
From the ridge traverse on a goat/climber’s trail just below the ridge walk to the first break in the ridge. At this break the route continues on the Gunsight Lake side and the route is somewhat exposed but easily navigated until reaching a gully that requires the class 3 or 4 (depending upon the route) climb to continue up the ridge line. There are numerous cairns along the route. A carain is a man- pile of stones. If you find that you are off route retrace your steps and look for the cairns. The route generally stays within 30-50 feet from the ridge top.
Above this gully the route continues to follow scree filled ledges until reaching another more complicated climb that takes a sharp left and then right to regain the ridge (once again marked by cairns). Scree, or talus, is accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. The term scree comes from the Old Norse term for landslide, skriða, while the term talus is a French word meaning a slope or embankment. The two terms are often used interchangeably, though scree commonly refers to smaller material like mixed gravel and loose dirt, talus to rocks larger than scree. This section has a lot of loose scree and it is crucial to protect those below you by moving one at a time through this section. There may be more than one route through these blockages so if you have extra time you can explore further along the northwest face.
After reaching the summit ridge again there are more of the scree filled slabs to climb.
Eventually this rock formation along the ridge will be reached. It is here that the ridge proper is actually climbed rather than traversing below it. This continues until near the top of this slope. It becomes obvious that you cannot easily walk along the summit ridge.
From this point on until the summit the route traverses below the ridge on the Harrison Glacier side of the ridge for the last 300 yards. The last few hundred yards are an enjoyable walk.
The summit cairn is a group of rocks stacked up in a semi circular fashion with the summit register lying in the middle of the cairn.
This route is described on pages 254-255 in J. Gordon Edwards book, A Climber’s Guide To Glacier National Park.
Return Options:
Retrace your route back to the Climber’s Trail and return to the suspension bridge.
or
If there is a desire to have a change of scenery or decrease the risk of rolling rock consider descending on the northwest face of the ridge.
The first step is to return to the point where the main summit ridge was first reached while ascending Jackson Northeast slope.
Descend from the lowest point on the ridge towards the upper end of Gunsight Lake. While working across the scree fields continue angling towards the right through the intervening sets of cliffs. The cliffs are easily navigated as well as loose scree in areas that are somewhat more enjoyable than the scree on the ascent route.
On the lower third of this large face is a pretty impressive hanging valley that would be quite challenging to climb through so avoid it by either staying on the scree fields to the left or right of the obvious gully that cuts into the scree field. At the head of this hanging valley is an obvious deep gully that seems to suck all of the rocks and boulders that are accidentally knocked loose during the descent.
Continue working through this massive scree field until reaching the Gunsight Pass Trail. Obviously to return to Gunsight Lake you will need to hike down hill towards the lake. From this area it is about 2 miles back to the suspension bridge on the trail.
Courtesy of FlatheadNative @ summitpost.org
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