Rock Mountain via Snowy CreekRecent Trip Reports
Hiked here recently?
Submit a trip report!
There are
25
trip reports for this hike.
See all trip reports for this hike.
Day hike
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
The weather was cool and partially sunny. Great weather for a hike. The access road is good but...
The weather was cool and partially sunny. Great weather for a hike. The access road is good but drive carefully as carelessness can take you over sharp and deep hillsides. At 5 miles from the Hwy 2 exit, there is a sign to the final turn to the trailhead. There is a blowdown on the road at the trailhead which is a good indicator that you “have reached your destination”. There is no proper parking lot or outhouse so do your business at the Skykomish ranger station. The trailhead sign is for the Snowy Creek Trail but this is the trail to Rock Mountain. No blowdowns and minimal bugs. There are a couple of shoulder-high brushy spots where you could get wet with morning dew. The first 3 miles have a gentle slope in the woods, then you enter a pleasant small meadow which is the last source of water. No flowers as their season is past. Look up at the ridgeline on your left and that is your destination…2200 ft of elevation gain in about 1.5 miles but it is worth it! Saw a bit of bear running away through the brush. The first half of this portion of the hike is in cool woods with the remainder in open, steep meadows with views that get better and better as the hike proceeds upwards. When you finally make the crest of the ridge you see a sign for the ‘lookout’ which is your destination. The view at the top is fantastic but I could not stay longer than half an hour as a storm was approaching from the west. There were no bugs for the whole hike!
Rock Mountain via Snowy Creek
— Sep 04, 2011
— richdr
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Mudholes
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
This was a great hike. The wildflowers in the upper meadows surpassed my expectations. There were several short muddy sections....
This was a great hike. The wildflowers in the upper meadows surpassed my expectations. There were several short muddy sections. Most of the trail was shaded and even the exposed upper section was not too hot. Flies on the summit and in the cirque but otherwise it wasn't buggy.
Rock Mountain via Snowy Creek
— Aug 20, 2011
— muffinprincess
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Overgrown | Mudholes | Bugs
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Today I went to Rock Mountain with a group of great people from the Mountaineers and had a fantastic time....
Today I went to Rock Mountain with a group of great people from the Mountaineers and had a fantastic time. The trail was bare of snow though patches could still be seen here and there around us. It was never hard to follow the trail, though particularly at lower elevations there was a lot of enthusiastic plant life leaning into the pathway, making long pants advisable. There was one rather broad stream crossing, very easily traversed over the rocks.
Once you hit the low meadow, expect it to be both buggy and boggy. A large swath of trail has been beaten through the muddy grass, and you'll need to make your way over a bit of a log jam to find the trail. That's the last real water source you'll be seeing, as from there it's a steeply rising trail that emerges into steep slopes of wildflowers, more than I've ever seen in one place in my life, and very late along wit the rest of our summer. The summit of Rock was very buggy, but the views unbeatable. This is an excellent, under-used hike, well worth your time. Outside of our party, we saw a handful of people all day. Get up there. It was a lot of elevation, but worth the grunt. It was a super trip, with one hitch: my camera fell out of my side pocket. Yes, I'm an idiot. If anyone happens to have found a small Nikon camera along the trailside in a recent trip up Rock, I would love it back. It's not a very valuable thing, but it had a lot of pictures of mine on it, and I'd really like those, even if it is found broken. I have a gmail address - kotoni is the name. Cheers.
Rock Mountain via Snowy Creek
— Aug 13, 2011
— BobD
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
The Aug 11 weekly report from WTA listed this hike as a prime choice for the weekend. It was...
The Aug 11 weekly report from WTA listed this hike as a prime choice for the weekend. It was our first real hike of the season and a long drive from Bellingham but so worth it! A huge meadow full of flowers at their prime, clear blue sky and mild temperature.
Recent reports had mentioned blowdowns, starting practically at the trailhead. We noticed recently cleared remnants and after crossing the creek and a four or five log blowdown, met Mr. Chainsaw Man coming down the trail. He had cleared all blowdowns that day and was heading for the final bunch. Snow was gone except for 20 feet of trail, and it's likely gone by now. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns | Bugs
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
This is the best route to Rock Mountain, see next trip report for snow problems with Rock Lake. 9...
This is the best route to Rock Mountain, see next trip report for snow problems with Rock Lake. 9 miles round trip 3300' of elevation. From Smithbrook and RT 2, left hand turn, 4 miles east of Stevens Pass, go approximately 5 miles on FS 6700, watch for right hand turn on FS 6705 4 miles to Snowy Creek Trailhead.
Rock Mountain, via Snowy Creek is open for business (mostly). Wildflowers and bugs are out. The views are spectacular. Only one small section of the trail is impeded by snow, this is at the 5800' level just below the "Sound of Music" traverse of the upper mountain. There are a couple of stretches of switch back that are blocked by snow. It is relatively easy to bush-wack up and around, the snow has exposure so stick to dry, albeit very steep ground. 5 - 8 blowdowns in the Snowy Creek Section, including one in the parking areas (ATTN forest service..) the hardest to navigate are 50 yards up the trail from the parking area where a few very large blow downs are blocking the trail. another 1/2 dozen on the switch backs above the avalanche meadow. speaking of which it has been two years now, a small route around this would be most welcome and probably do the meadow some good too as folks try and navigate the debris pile. If you are looking for a challenging, beautiful hike in the Stevens pass area, this is worth a try. |
|
Document Actions
- Email this page
- Print this
- Share
Forgot your
New user?
