Olds Mountain

Overview

Olds Mountain is a excellent climb and an easy detour if doing the Granite Creek/Juneau Ridge loop hike. Olds Mountain's slopes are steep and bare, and heavy avalanche danger can persist on the mountain well into Spring. Though not technical, climbing Olds is a full day. Ice axe and crampons may be needed in late spring and early summer. 

Olds Mountain provides a stunning view of the Juneau Icefield and a dramatic transition into the glaciated alpine environment from the coastal forests of lower elevation. If you are lucky, you may even find yourself on the summit of Olds on a clear day, which will provide excellent views of Split Thumb, Nugget, The Juneau Icefield, and to the North-West the Fairweather Range

Getting There

To access the trail to Mount Juneau from downtown Juneau, you must first access the well known Perseverance Trail. To get there, take Gold Street to Basin Road and follow it to the end

Route

The Granite Creek Route and Juneau Ridge Route both start from the well known Perseverance Trail. One way turns on the Mt Juneau trail and climbs to the summit of Mt. Juneau, then continues along the Juneau Ridge to the base of Olds Mountain. The other way stays low on the Perseverance Trail and then turns on the Granite Basin trail climbing to the base of Olds Mountain on the Juneau Ridge. Both routes can be connected to make a great loop hike.

See the route page for more details and for the map and Garmin .gpx files.

Red Tape

There is no red tape here, so please use LNT principles.

When to Climb

Mid-June through mid-September is the normal hiking season. With easy access, winter ascents would be reasonable as well, though there will be avalanche danger on the highest slopes.

June can be a really nice time to climb since it’s the sunniest summer month, though there tends to be more snow around. July is excellent too while August and September are wetter and cloudier. Fall and winter tend to be quite wet. 

Winters are much milder here than in interior Alaska

Camping

Backcountry Camping

Permits are not needed to camp in the Tongass National Forest. Camping Spots can be found on the ridges in the alpine areas.

External Links

Tongass National Forest