Facilitated Access Permitting
First and foremost, all Mountaineers activities must comply with the organizational standards outlined in the Outdoor Ethics Board Policy. Read more on our blog about determining party size for Mountaineers trips.
How To use this guide:
- First, visit the route/place page for the area where you are leading or planning to lead your activity. Determine the land manager for the area, as listed at the bottom of the route/place page - below length and elevation information, and above recommended and maximum party size information:
- Then, find the corresponding land manager facilitated access permitting requirements linked in the list below. For information about which parking passes may be required at the trailhead, please refer to the route/place page.
- If the land manager for your activity's route/place is not listed below (applicable to many city/county parks, land managers located outside of WA, etc.), we do not have a formal process in place for outfitter-guide or special use permits with that land manager. Please do your due diligence in researching land manager regulations, particularly if your activity is part of a paid course or clinic, or involves a large group, and reach out to staff at info@mountaineers.org if you have questions or need additional support.
Special Considerations:
If you are planning a stewardship activity, a Basic climb, or a field trip associated with a Climbing or Scrambling course, click here to review a few special considerations associated with these activities.
US Forest Service
- Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Gifford Pinchot National Forest
National Park Service
Washington State Land Managers
- Washington State Parks
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Washington State Department of Natural Resources
other land managers
- City of Anacortes - Mt Erie
- Washington Climbers Coalition - Index Lower Town Wall and Inner Wall
- Chelan-Douglas Land Trust - Sam Hill
- Ouray Ice Park
- Oregon State Parks - Smith Rock
- Mt Hood National Forest - Mt Hood
- Global Adventures
Permitting Calendars
We've put together a series of calendars with important dates for permitting for course-related trips at Leavenworth, Mt. Erie, Vantage, Coleman Seracs, Observation Rock, Mt. Baker National Recreation Area, Paradise (Mt Rainier National Park), Ouray Ice Park and WA DNR-managed land.
Below are links to the annual permitting calendar, including all of the above areas. Use the iCal feed to get calendar alerts. Links to calendars for specific areas can be found on those areas' Land Manager page above.
Annual PERMITTING CALENDARAnnual Permitting CALENDAR - ICAL FEED
Special considerations
Stewardship Activities
Stewardship activities do not require outfitter/guide permits - however, all stewardship activities must be planned in conjunction with the land manager for the area. Depending on the project needs, stewardship activities may necessitate a larger group size than the maximum party size noted on the route/place listing. The land manager works directly with the organizing committee on the total group size allowed at that location. The maximum party size allowed on a route/place may be updated by our staff on a case-by-case basis. Please contact staff at info@mountaineers.org with any questions.
Priority Climbs List
In order to most equitably distribute access to our most popular Basic climbs, The Mountaineers maintains an annual Priority Climbs List that includes:
- South Early Winter Spire/South Arete
- Mount Baker/Coleman Glacier
- Mount Baker/Easton Glacier
- Ingalls Peak/South Ridge
- Mount Rainier/Disappointment Cleaver
- Mount Rainier/Emmons Glacier
- The Tooth/South Face
If you would like to schedule a climb to one of these destinations, please first refer to the current year's Priority Climbs List to determine which date(s) your branch has priority for scheduling which climb(s), and connect with your branch's climbing committee to move forward with the scheduling process.
Internal Climbing, scrambling, and snowshoeing calendar
Due to complicated USFS permitting processes in the Leavenworth area, as well as a growing demand for teaching locations by The Mountaineers climbing, snowshoeing, and scrambling courses, the Internal Planning Calendar was instituted to allow course leaders to plan their field trips while balancing access to the most popular teaching locations. This calendar is only for course-related field trips (not stand-alone trips), and currently includes:
- Leavenworth
- Mount Erie
- Vantage
- Tieton
- Coleman Seracs
- Observation Rock
- Paradise
- Mount Baker Recreation Area (includes Easton Glacier and Squak Glacier)
An editable version of the calendar is made available on the Activity Council Basecamps. If you are not on those basecamp groups, please request access to the calendar from your committee chair. Please note that Leavenworth dates that are reserved on the internal calendar are not finalized until we receive our final user day allocations from the USFS (typically sometime in late March or early April of the following year).
General Timeline for Internal Planning:
April - enter following year's dates on the calendar
May - committee and branch chairs resolve any date conflicts
June - staff conducts a randomized drawing to resolve any remaining conflicts