Rock Mountain Revisited
By Steve Godfrey
Aug. 16, 2010
Photo by Steve Godfrey
Views of distant peaks abound on the hike to Rock Mountain.
Our first attempt to hike to Rock Mountain this year was on July 4th, and turned out to be a cold and miserable affair (see “Not Up For Visitors” in Cashmere World’s ‘Interests’ section). Our second attempt was under completely different conditions. This time Rock Mountain had her flashing neon “Welcome” sign out, and what a welcome it was.
We decided to try a different approach than the one from Highway 2 because we knew the open southern exposure of Nason Ridge would be very hot in mid-August. Rock Mountain can also be reached from the north, via the Snowy Creek Trailhead (no parking pass needed) on Forest Service Road 6705, which sits a full thousand feet higher elevation than the trailhead off of Highway 2. An added bonus is that this route is a 9-mile round trip - two miles less than the approach from the south.
The Snowy Creek Trail starts out gradually gaining elevation by paralleling the creek through heavy timber and comfortable shade. The trail includes several patches of heavy brush, so caution is needed to avoid the hidden rocks and roots. It steepens through the trees until you come to a large meadow at the foot of Rock Mountain. The north side of this meadow is currently choked with the remains of a major avalanche that apparently took place three winters ago. This avalanche must have been a display of raw natural power as it snapped trees up to 24-inches in diameter like they were toothpicks. The ones it didn’t snap it uprooted and carried down the mountain. The trail has been relocated since then, further to the north along the edge of the avalanche damage.
The trail continues gaining elevation through the trees and then breaks out into a huge open and steep hillside (this is the head of the avalanche chute) and begins a series of long switchbacks. The scenery now starts to improve dramatically, seemingly with every step. Here the hike could be favorably compared aesthetically to one in the Swiss Alps.
Finally reaching the saddle overlooking Rock Lake, hikers continue to reap the benefits of their sweat. When we arrived there, a stark-white mountain goat cautiously watched us from the apex of Rock Mountain, but quickly disappeared like a ghost. From this saddle, it’s an easy .3 miles to the top of Rock Mountain.
We couldn’t have asked for better weather or clearer skies. From the top of Rock Mountain (elev. 6852 feet) we enjoyed a jaw-dropping 360-degree view of the Cascade Range. The view of Glacier Peak is awesome, and we could also see Mt. David, Mt. Baker, Minotaur Lake and Labyrinth Mountain, Matterhorn-like Sloan Peak, Whitehorse Mountain, Three Fingers, the Monte Cristo Peak group, the Olympic Range, Mt. Hinman, Mt. Daniel, Mt.Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Stuart, as well as many others.
Bottom Line: For spectacular mountain scenery, Rock Mountain really is hard to beat. The 9-mile (round trip) trail via the Snowy Creek Trailhead is my recommended route. It’s a fairly tough hike (you have to gain the 3250 feet in elevation somehow), but very doable. This hike should definitely be on your “Cascades Hikes To Do“ list, and it’s currently prime time to be in the mountains.
