Windy Peak Lollipop

While living in the Okanogan Highlands of north central Washington, I discovered many spectacular running routes. One of my favorites from that time was the 32 mile Windy Peak Loop in the Pasayten Wilderness. The mileage may not be exact, but one can expect to put in a good 50k with lots of climbing, technical trail, cruisy stretches, far-reaching views and lovely wildflowers.

Check out my trip report for lots of good information and enticing photos from the route. I ran it with my adventure buddy Lisa and we started at the Long Swamp Campground. This is reached by driving from the small town of Oroville towards Loomis. The drive itself is scenic and Lisa and I spotted a herd of Big Horn Mountain Sheep on our drive to the trailhead. There are other options. Roads out this way are in rough condition, washboard & potholes to be expected. From Long Swamp, the route begins a lollipop loop by running the 4 mile stick on trail # 342.

The direction Lisa and I went had us connecting to trail # 375, #341, and then #343. The trail then reconnects with trail #342, for the 4 mile return trip to Long Swamp.

The route begins with a good climb towards Windy Peak. At the base of the peak, there is the option of taking a spur trail to the summit. At this point there are incredible, 360 degree views. The landscape is open, rocky and barren. It is easy to linger here too long.

From here, the trail drops down into the lush environment of Horseshoe Basin. There are aspen groves in here and lots of opportunities for shade.

At Sunny Pass, there is an option of taking a 2 mile side trip to Louden Lake. The lake is a good spot to have lunch or cool down if its hot.

There are creeks in this area to get water. There are also good creeks in Horsehoe Basin and nearing the end of the route, in the old burn zone. This is a beautiful area with charred trees, rugged rock formations and abundant wildflowers.

This is a special, high country route in the remote country of the Pasayten Wilderness. I highly recommend making the trip if you like solitude and a nice, ultra distance loop run. I like that the loop offers a variety of different types of ecosystems and terrain to pass through, making for a unique adventure run.