Labyrinth Mountain

If the steep climb up to Lake Minotaur hasn’t taken all the go out of your legs, adding a mile and another 1,000 feet of climbing will get you to the top of Labyrinth Mountain. From the summit you look down on Minotaur and Theseus Lakes directly below. To the east is Lake Wenatchee, north is Poe Mountain and Poet’s ridge backdropped by Glacier Peak. On a clear day you can look south and west over Stevens Pass Ski Resort and see Mount Rainier.

After climbing to Minotaur Lake cross the exit stream, climb the short hill to the east of the lake and take in the breathtaking view of Lake Theseus directly below. You will be standing on the top of a sheer cliff so keep young hikers back from the edge. There are a number of campsites along the ridge.

Follow boot tracks directly north, once you are even with the north end of Minotaur Lake, and look for a clear boot trail that leads up. The trail is adjacent to a small seasonal stream. This path is narrow and can be slippery. The trail crests into a large talus field directly below the summit.

At this point the trail spits with a branch to the left and a branch to the right. The left branch circles around the talus field and goes pretty much straight up the summit. If you go right there is a path directly below the summit. This approach has a number of switchbacks which makes the climb a little less intense. By going far right you circle in below the peak. All the approaches gather just to the left of the summit and share access scrambling up the last few rocks to the summit.

Early in the season there are often snow fields in the upper basin, don’t attempt the summit if it is icy or if you don’t have proper gear, the last 250 vertical feet are quite steep and a fall could result in serious injury.