"Speak of the Devil": Desolation Peak & Devils Dome Loop

Trip date: August 8-10 2025 Dad and I have been talking about doing Desolation Peak and Devils Dome Loop for years, so we thought, why not combine the two for an epic three-day weekend! Day 1: Starting from the East Bank Trailhead on Highway 20, we hiked the East Bank Trail to Desolation Peak, then backtracked to the Devils Creek junction to complete the Devils Dome Loop clockwise. That way, we could cross off the entire East Bank Trail, Desolation Peak, and Devils Dome Loop in one trip! Despite its name, the East Bank Trail only rarely sees the bank of Ross Lake. Alas, most of it is in forest, which had beautiful moss-lined trails but became monotonous after many miles. The toughest part of Day 1 was starting the 4,400 foot climb up Desolation Peak at 4pm after already hiking 16 miles. It was slow going, but we made it up to Desolation Camp (our home for the night) and reached Desolation Lookout just before sunset. We were the only people at Desolation Camp, so we had both the campsite and the lookout to ourselves for the night. We could see the northern terminus of Ross Lake, the famous Hozomeen of Jack Kerouac's poetry, and Jack Mountain towards the South (named after a miner, not the poet). An almost 25-mile day, but boy was it worth it! Day 2: We hiked down Desolation Peak and backtracked to the Devils Creek junction to hop on the Devils Dome Loop. It was a long slog up to Devils Dome, but that proved the highlight of the day as we saw Jack Mountain and Crater Mountain bathed blue in the late afternoon light. From there it was mostly downhill to a campsite at Anacortes Crossing, strolling across grassy ridges with stunning views of Jack and Crater the whole way. Day 3: We enjoyed Jackita Ridge in the cool morning, which once again boasted close-up views of Jack and Crater. Finally, we cruised down the long and steep downhill to Ruby Creek. There was a pretty big washout at the start of the Ruby Creek Trail, but after some investigating we were able to cross it without too much difficulty. Others chose to ford Ruby Creek, but I think our route was much faster and while it may seem daunting visually, it is really quite doable. 3 miles on the Ruby Creek trail and we were finished! Highlights: Sunset at Desolation Peak, dinner atop Devils Dome, and swimming in Ruby Creek after a tough three days! Instant relief for the blisters. Trip stats: 63 miles 17,500 ft elevation gain 3 days, 2 nights