East Ledges Route

Approach

Start at the Long Lake Trailhead (10,500-ft.) and pass Long Lake at a quarter mile. Continue another 2 miles to Lake Isabelle and follow the trail around the north side of the lake. After another mile, you will come to another lake at 11,420 ft. From this spot Apache’s huge east face looms above and you can see the east ledge system on the left. Start the grueling 2000-ft ascent by hiking around the north side of the lake up into a boulderfield. At this point there is no trail. Pick your way up directly under the Navajo Glacier to 12,200 ft.

Route Description

At this point the route traverses up onto the narrow ledge system and leads you toward the Apache snow couloir. Finding these ledges are key, and hiking is fun class 2+ with a bit of class 3. Once out of these ledges the hike follows the path of least resistance, again, there is no trail on this steep section because it is mostly loose scree. Finally attain the south ridge at 13,200 ft. Your hard work will pay off once you get on this broad south shoulder with rewarding views all around. Hike another 200 ft. to the summit

Essential Gear

Ice axe if your thinking about a glissade down the Apache Coulior

Miscellaneous Info

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Images

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