Pepper Peak Climb Report
Distance (Mi)
4.56
Summit Elevation
5,381
Elevation Gain
4,606
Elevation Loss
114
Duration
2:17:07
Summit Date
June 27, 2025
Difficulty
Non-Technical
Trailhead
Pepper Peak is the first part of the Condiment Traverse; a 3 peak outing over Eklutna Lake. If you like walking on ridges and non-technical climbing in the Chugach, you will find this trip fun!
Condiment Traverse
If you are going to climb Pepper you can continue onto Shaker and Salt! You can find the other parts of this trip below!
Pepper Peak
With little planning I headed up to Eklutna Lake. Rain peppered my windshield the entire drive. The mountains were hiding and I was prepared for a soggy Alaskan summer day. I loaded the gpx file for the route into my watch. This ended up being a huge help! Here is an overview of the route.
The day started at the familiar Eklutna Lake Trailhead. The launching point for so many Chugach adventures. I headed over the bridge, past the bike rental shop, and through the bollards onto the Twin Peaks Trail.
Twin Peaks Trail is a fairly easy approach. You may hear or see references to benches on the trail. Here is the breakdown:
- First Bench -> This is the first bench you will come across while walking up the trail.
- Second Bench -> This is the second bench you will come across while walking up the trail.
If you are descending the trail, keep in mind this is reversed. The first bench becomes the second bench. The second bench would be referred to as the first bench. The view from the first bench is always stunning! Unfortunately, it was too foggy to see the day I climbed! Fortunately, it wasn't too foggy to sneak a peek at a herd of goats across the valley!
After you decipher the bench situation, and come upon the second bench, you will see a trail that continues up the hill. This is the trail! It gets steeper from here but nothing crazy. Follow the trail and you will see a cairn at the base of Pepper, turn uphill here. I was at the top in no time at all!
It is an easy and straightforward climb to the top. I ascended into some intense fog. The first 360 image that I took would only be interesting to the fog lovers out there. Fortunately, I was able to snap a somewhat clear picture on the way back!
Naming Conventions
The order of the names is annoying to me. I believe that Salt, Pepper, Shaker rolls off the tongue in a way Pepper, Shaker, Salt does not. However, looking at the mountains, I like that shaker is more rounded, less prominent, and all around much more shaker shaped. Looking at the mountains, I can see why and fully agree why each peak received its name. I was wrestling with this the entire afternoon and am only starting to feel comfortable with the situation as a whole.
Lots of people stop at the top of Pepper Peak and do not finish the whole Traverse! I can see why, it is beautiful on a clear day you can see Eklutna Lake and deep into the Chugach. Maybe even a glacier? It would be impossible to know!
I continued on to Shaker Peak. You can read about it here: Shaker Peak
