- Whitehorse Mountain has it all: The mountain itself is spectacularly beautiful, especially from the little town of Darrington at it’s base: The views from the summit are world class in all directions; the hike in and the climb are difficult enough to be forever memorable; and the solitude, especially considering this mountain’s proximity to habitation, is remarkable. On this last note: During my five trips up Whitehorse’s slopes over the past few years I’ve yet to encounter a single other hiker or climber save a herd of mountain goats in one of the meadows! As if that isn’t enough, there are stories of a mad Bulgarian hermit that lived for years in a campsite on the mountain’s lower slopes and there was even a TV movie with scenes filmed on the summit icecap. (see below: Misc.) Other accounts vary slightly but I measured the round trip as a relatively short 10.6 miles, but in this distance, starting at the 912 foot trailhead you will gain over 5,900 feet to the summit and another approx 1000 feet due to several ups and downs in the middle portion of the trail for nearly a 7,000 foot total gain.