Photos from Cowlitz Saddle Tours

The Cowlitz Saddle tour is a long tour through gently to moderate sloping open terrain. It offers short side trips onto steeper terrain as seen in the photo at top (left). The photo (top right) is the view from Cowlitz Saddle (the turn around point) of the Cowlitz Glacier. This tour begins at the Paradise parking lot and follows the Paradise Valley Road for one mile. Next it ascends Mazama ridge on the 4th crossing trail and proceeds to the Sluiskin Monument. Then it goes to Cowlitz Saddle via the Paradise Glacier snow field (Sevens Creek). The round trip distance for this tour is seven miles, it gains and loses 2000 feet elevation. You must be in good shape to complete the tour, but a shorter turnaround point is always an option. This tour is through a high treeless valley and requires good visibility for navigation. All of Washington's Southern peaks (Rainier, Adams, St. Helens) can be seen on this tour.

                          
Photos copyright© 2003 by Ed Strauss. All rights reserved.