Devils Thumb Trailhead to Devils Thumb Pass

Hiked this trail 7/31/18. Beautiful view of the valley from the summit. Saw a moose with a calf in the clearing. Many wildflowers in bloom. The majority of the well defined trail boarders the stream. My daughters (22 and 20) and I (53) completed in about 5 1/2 hours-2:45 hour climb, 1 hour lunch at top and 1:45 hour descent. First half fairly gentle climb then it becomes more strenuous with numerous switchbacks. We paused several times for pictures and breathers on the way up but rarely on the way down. We are all reasonably fit but not to the extreme. I clocked this at 4 miles each way. I felt google maps provided better directions to the trailhead compared to Alltrails. Much of the approach roads are unpaved and a bit narrow but were passable in a minivan in dry weather.

My niece and I did this hike yesterday, and it is definitely more than a 7 mile hike. We tracked it with two phone apps and a Fitbit at 9.3 miles round trip to the pass. It was a beautiful hike through the woods with frequent encounters of Cabin Creek. After about 2 miles, you start to climb steadily. The reward coming out of the trees is the open cirque below the pass; lots of wildflowers still in bloom and a glacier stream. It started to get really windy here above tree line at about 4 miles. The trail gets steeper too, but you can see your destination close at hand. Getting to the pass on this hike is a must as you look down on Devil's Head lake as well as several other lakes. The pass was super windy (35 to 40 mph) but once we dropped over the ridge we were sheltered. We enjoyed our PB&Js with an awesome view. We really felt the miles and elevation as we headed back down, but it was well worth the effort. Don't forget to soak your "dawgs" in the creek when you get back to the car! This hike took us about 5.5 hours with frequent picture stops and a 30 minute lunch at the top.

We wanted to climb a mountain that wasn’t too far of a drive to the trailhead so we chose this one. The roads leading to the trailhead were winding and narrow at times. The trail to the top and back is seven miles long, but everyone in our group thought it seemed more like 14. It took us five and a half hours to go up and back. The word “hard” is an understatement for this trail but it was still fun. I would recommend wearing light clothing for the first part but bring warmer clothing if you plan to stay at the top for long, it was very cold and windy at the top. We saw one female moose and two marmots toward the top, but you really have to look around to notice them. Another group saw a coyote. I would recommend this trail if it is a close drive for you and you are in at least okay physical shape.

Excellent hike, but probably should not have done this on day 1 after coming from flat, low altitude Indiana! highly recommended as it has everything I was looking for: beauty and variety with the end point above the tree line and a view of multiple alpine lakes.

Difficult trail at the last stretch before Devil’s Thumb. Took me about 4-4.5 hours. I stopped a lot for my dog to get water, but there were lots of streams, too. Easy to cross. Beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and valley. I went 2 days ago so the wildfires had it pretty Smokey (I could smell smoke!) but it was safe. I wouldn’t say this was lightly trafficked - quite a few people on the trail.

Did this last week and its great!

End of May - after 1.8 miles was too snowy to pass without snowshoes. Nice easy hike to a good view at that point though. Several downed trees still.

It was amazing to ski

Definitely moderate to hard, getting out to the meadow and up to the top in the last 2 miles was one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen.

Really fun hike 1/2 way gets steep and the last 1/4 is steeper but very nice trail did not feel unsafe or anything. Took about 5:00hrs round trip or so at 2mph, poles would have been nice. Great views on the way up and up top.

We had an amazing hike today. Not a cloud in the sky. This is a difficult trail but not technical at all. You can take your time and it is well worth it. Beautiful views near continental divide.

Awesome !!

Awesome !!

Awesome !!

This trail has everything...shade, Meadows, huge boulders, and a very difficult climb! Fantastic views at the top!