Cathedral Peak is the southern crown of the remote and magnificent Cathedral Range, which spans the international border. The mountain is famous for its 1,000-foot South Face, which holds some of the best rock and routes in the North Cascades. However, the standard approach route is 20 miles long, so you can be sure that crowds will not be a problem here. Upper Cathedral Lake is a great place to camp when in the area and has a stunning view of the peak to boot. From the lake, climb over Cathedral Pass and descend a short ways down the east side to abut 7,400 feet. The Southeast Buttress, a classic yet seldom climbed route, begins in the gully between the main peak and The Monk, a large rock tower to the east. 150 feet up the gully, begin climbing on a 5.9 pitch up a corner and crack to a large ledge. Follow the ledge and look for a chimney with chockstones, climb up the chimney and onto a 5.8 corner. A series of small ledges lead left to a quartz dike. Climb the dike to a ledge, then follow the ledge to the left. Continue up and left to the base of the headwall. The crux is a 5.9 off-width or a 5.10a finger crack to its right. One more pitch with a short leftward traverse on a ledge leads to the summit scramble. There are 10-11 pitches total. Descent is normally via the West Ridge route. Bring a selection of pro to 5 inches. The rock is granite of the highest quality and is generally easily protected. A NW Forest Pass is required to park at the trailhead.