Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Johnson Ridge
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Central Cascades,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Begin by following an old road-turned-trail through an old cut turning back to forest. While it's a steep start, delectable views of nearby peaks, especially of the serrated summits surrounding Spire Mountain and El Capitan, offer nice diversions. Those impressive peaks across the Beckler River valley, along with the ridge you're now traipsing on, are all part of Washington's newest federal wilderness area, the Wild Sky (see "Untrammeled Central Cascades" in this section). After 0.75 mile the grade eases and the way becomes real trail. Through mature forest flush with huckleberries, the way gently marches along Johnson Ridge. Climbing, however, resumes-and steeply. At 2 miles round the heather-graced 5050-foot summit of Sunrise Mountain. Enjoy outstanding views east of the meadow-cloaked high country that embraces the Cascade crest, with snowy sentinel Glacier Peak watching over. Cherish, too, the view north of the Monte Cristo peaks, an impressive wall of ice and rock. Sunrise Mountain makes a perfectly fine destination for those seeking a shorter hike. But if it's Scorpion Mountain you wish to strike out for, continue on, steeply dropping more than 300 feet to a narrow saddle. Commence climbing again through patchy meadows and thinning forest. At about 3.5 miles enter a full-blown meadow replete with resplendent wildflowers. Retreating momentarily from the emerald lawns, the trail creeps up the steep ridge crest before traversing flower-studded fields just below Scorpion's summit. At an unmarked junction, head left, making one final hurrah to subdue Scorpion's 5540-foot rounded summit and reap the spoils of 360-degree Central Cascades viewing: East to Poet Ridge, Grizzly, McCausland, and the Chiwaukums. South to Captain Point, Fernow, Daniel, Hinman, and Cathedral Rock. North it's Evergreen, Sloan, Benchmark and Fortune, while west it's Baring, Spire, and Troublesome. One thing that isn't clear from here is why more hikers don't find their way to this outstanding destination.
Driving Directions:
From Everett head east on US 2 for 49 miles to the small town of Skykomish. Continue east for 1 more mile, turning left onto Beckler River Road (Forest Road 65). Continue north for 6.9 miles to the pavement's end and a three-way junction (just before a bridge over Rapid River). Make a sharp right turn onto FR 6520. In 2.7 miles bear left at an unmarked junction, continuing on FR 6520 for another 4.2 miles to the road's end and trailhead (elev. 3700 ft). Recent Trip Reports
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Johnson Ridge
— Oct 15, 2011
— Nordique
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
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How many more such perfect days are we likely to enjoy this year? We had some snow, some crunchy...
How many more such perfect days are we likely to enjoy this year? We had some snow, some crunchy trail, but lots of sun and superb views, on a glorious day in the mountains! All the previous blowdowns have been fixed. Too many photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/[…]/
Johnson Ridge
— Aug 24, 2011
— Sean
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns | Water on trail | Snow on trail | Bugs
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The drive up the dirt road to the trail head was long but an earth mover was up there smoothing...
The drive up the dirt road to the trail head was long but an earth mover was up there smoothing it out. Some of the ledges the road traveled went steeply down, we drove slow.
Some snow. Only once we had to look for where the trail picked up. As soon as we started seeing snow on the ground, the mosquito's started getting thick. Up at the meadows, they were dense. When we made it to the top, a great, mighty swarm descended and made stopping to eat something untenable lest we get eaten. We left after minutes and kept our breaks short. Meadows and wild flowers beautiful. Views incredible. Bugs intense. Bring repellant. Except for a few soggy parts of snow melt here and there, the trail was without water sources till near the end. That was an ice pond that a side trail may or may not travel too. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns | Snow on trail | Bugs
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Our hke to Johnson Ridge was definetly worth the hike up, as there are steep inclines, and you gotta love...
Our hke to Johnson Ridge was definetly worth the hike up, as there are steep inclines, and you gotta love that one on the way back, it was sure nice going down it though:) No pain no gain right? True! Absolutely gorgeous!
The last post was correct, Craig Romanos description of the hike was right on. I love his books! Here are some pictures, enjoy! Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns | Snow on trail | Bugs
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GWEN'S HIKE-A-THON HIKE NO. 1
Rule #1 - Always drive to the trailhead.
8AM in Woodinville dawned overcast and misty. 10AM In...
GWEN'S HIKE-A-THON HIKE NO. 1
Rule #1 - Always drive to the trailhead. 8AM in Woodinville dawned overcast and misty. 10AM In Monroe was no different. Noon @ the trailhead was full of sunshine and only partly cloudy skies. The weather broke right about Skykomish, just before the turnoff for the Beckler River Road. Relatively short drive from Monroe, less than an hour out to Skykomish, about 10-15 minutes up the Beckler River Road and about 20-25 minutes up FS 6520 which is in great condition since they filled in the few potholes while I was hiking! Only two other cars at the trailhead (one with California plates - odd). Craig Romano's description of this hike is accurate. The way starts off on an old logging road, currently lined with lupine and desert parsley and new forest. It's a little bit dusty but it's relatively short lived. Once real trail is reached (in about 3/4 miles), the dust subsides. The climbing, however, does not; you're either climbing up or down most of the way, sometimes quite steeply. There are a few blowdowns over the trail, all easy to navigate over or around. Snow was first encountered about a mile in (around 4,650') and was intermittent most of the way, still topping both Sunrise and Scorpion Mountains, but was soft and easy to walk on. Navigation could pose a small problem for one not familiar with the route since a couple of the snowfields are quite long. I just followed the boot tracks of the two parties before me. I expect it should be mostly gone in a week or two as the snow was never more than 2' deep. The meadows were full of wildflowers galore (although the pitch of the slope that the trail traverses made me a little edgy, probably because I was hiking solo). The two smells I love the most are pine forests in the heat (which brings out the smell of the resins in the trees) and high meadows filled with wildflowers (intoxicatingly sweet). There will be plenty of huckleberries in the fall. The views were grand although the clouds obscured some of the larger (Glacier, where are you?) peaks. But the clouds also provided respite from the sun (this would be a HOT hike on a completely sunny day, and dry - there is no water on this trail) and kept the breezes blowing which provided respite from the bugs. Skeeters atop Scorpion (and a lack of place to sit that wasn't ice cold) meant a trip back along the ridge to find a lunch spot (chicken, avocado, cream cheese and ginger-peach chutney on a sandwich roll - yum!). I peered down to Lake Joan which is beginning to melt out, but still too much snow there to comfortably travel the steep trail. The climb up Sunrise on the return was nearly relentless and had to be taken in spurts. STATS Miles: 9.0 RT Elev Gain: 2,650' (up and down and up and down and up and down again) Hiking Time: 5.5 hours (inc. a snack break, a lunch break, a pee break, and 146 photos) Encounters: 3 parties (7 two-leggeds & 2 four leggeds) Bug Bites: 0 (yay Jungle Juice!) "Peaks" Bagged: 2 (Sunrise @ 5,033 & Scorpion @ 5,535) If you found this trip report helpful or entertaining, please consider sponsoring my Hike-A-Thon campaign here... http://www.gifttool.com/ath[…]amp;AID=1655&PID=223038 Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Overgrown | Snow on trail
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This week we decided to find out if summer had reached the mountaintops along the Highway 2 corridor, holding on...
This week we decided to find out if summer had reached the mountaintops along the Highway 2 corridor, holding on to the faint hope that snows had miraculously receded. We chose the somewhat obscure Scorpion Mountain, assuming its relatively low elevation would mean no lingering snow. The bad news? We encountered a lot more snow than we should have in July. But the good news is that the snow is definitely on the way out – at least under 6,000ft.
Just inside the Wild Sky Wilderness, Scorpion Mountain anchors one end of Johnson Ridge, surrounded by such prominences as Captain Point, Litchtenberg Mountain, Mt. McCausland, Eagle Rock, and Scrabble Mountain. Such evocative names must have a story. Much to our surprise, we were unable to dig up much in the way of history beyond vague hints of a once-expansive trail system branching off from Johnson Ridge. It would seem that remnants of trails can still be found leading out to Mt. Fernow, Alpine Baldy and Beckler Peak. Perhaps the section that sees the most traffic is the Kelley Creek Trail, running between Captain Point and Scorpion Mountain, still used by a few intrepid hikers a year. For the full trip report, check out: http://www.hikingwithmybrot[…]tain-via-johnson-ridge.html Jer |
Photo by kbissell.
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