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Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail
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We tried mountain biking up this trail from the 4-mile marker of Crystal Mountain Blvd, with the intention of riding...
We tried mountain biking up this trail from the 4-mile marker of Crystal Mountain Blvd, with the intention of riding along the summit ridge and then down Northway as we'd done once before. The trail was in excellent shape from the start (3930') to a little over 5000', though too steep to ride in sections. Then we hit nearly continuous snow. We pushed our bikes over snow for the better part of an hour to Hen Skin Lake (5500'), stopping at an overlook for lunch. After the lake, deterred by the sight of much more snow above us before the trail reaches the sunny open slopes, we threw in the towel. We rode through a little mud until we found the jeep road that took us back down.
Kachess Beacon, Silver Creek
— Nov 23, 2010
— Type E
Day hike
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Alot of fresh powder and some extremely cold temps:
http://alpinelakesaficionado.blogspot.com/2010/11/kachess-beacon-4615-112310.html...
Alot of fresh powder and some extremely cold temps:
http://alpinelakesaficionad[…]ess-beacon-4615-112310.html Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Washouts
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We drove the Crystal Mt Road 4.2 miles and turned left on the Gold Hill Road. We drove this road...
We drove the Crystal Mt Road 4.2 miles and turned left on the Gold Hill Road. We drove this road until it veers left, parking in a pullout before the turn. There is a sign for the Bullion Basin Trail on the left and a narrow road with no sign straight ahead. After walking perhaps 1/4 mile there is a sign for The Silver Creek Trail. Bear Gap at 5800 ft and the PCT is 2.2 miles from here, I believe. We began our hike at 4600. We took the right fork at an unmarked junction as we wanted to see Hen Skin Lake which is a shallow lake with a few small colorful trout and tadpoles. It's a very pretty setting. We went north on the PCT to Pickhandle Gap and Crown Point where we had lunch. We took the Union Creek Trail which goes above Cement Basin. There were 2 washed out scree areas shortly after beginning this section of the loop. These are not for "the faint of heart" which I am; however, with Bob's help I managed them without falling! :)! Cement Basin is very beautiful and we did see 1 bull elk grazing in a meadow. From the Union Creek Trail we took the Lake Basin Trail. The highlight of our loop was the herd of 50 goat we saw as we reached the crest of the trail before descending to Basin Lake. They were on both sides of the trail and were very cooperative by continuing to graze as we approached them. They gradually worked their way up the ridge eating as they went! We contoured Lake Basin above Basin Lake to the PCT where we went north to the Bullion Basin Trail which took us back to our truck. I'm sorry if this description is difficult to follow, but the Green Trails map #271 Bumping Lake should make it more clear. Our map is 2002 so is probably out of date. Our gain was probably 3500 feet and total distance 12-13 miles. It's an enjoyable hike which we have done often and we have always seen elk and/or goats. No elk this time, however. Flowers are past their prime, but there are enough left to add color along the way--hellebore,monardella, larkspur, mouse on a stick, lupine, paintbrush to name a few.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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With thick grey clouds brooding over Crystal Mountain, it seemed an inauspicious time to gain any vistas from Norse Peak,...
With thick grey clouds brooding over Crystal Mountain, it seemed an inauspicious time to gain any vistas from Norse Peak, my original plan, so on to Plan B: Bullion Basin. This was a perfect hike for an overcast day. Daphne, my faithful 4-footed companion and the only one I could find to accompany me today, loved this hike because it wasn't terribly steep or difficult or long, and there was plenty of water to play in. Although there were lots of cars in the Crystal Mountain parking lot when I arrived at 10:15 am, I only encountered three hikers and two dogs on the entire 6.5-mile loop, making it a great escape from weekend hordes.
Despite the heavy clouds obscuring all the nearby peaks, there remained plenty to see on this loop, hiking through deep rich woods with sweeping valley views, and many bright wildflowers still clinging to life on either side of the mostly dusty trail. The red paintbrush, columbine, aster, arnica, and pearly everlasting are particularly plentiful right now. The hike starts behind three large boulders to the left of the Chapel. It's a faint boot trail that ascends a meadow, veers left, and then turns into a rough service road. When you come to the crossroad with a sign for Parking Lot C, cross the service road and find the signpost with a teeny, tiny laminated blue sign announcing the start of Bullion Basin Trail No. 1156. The trail climbs very gradually, ascending just 1000 feet in about an hour of walking. The namesake basin is a marshy meadow reached at 2 miles. Shortly thereafter, the trail climbs a bit more steeply for 0.5 mile to the junction with the PCT. Turn right (south) onto the PCT to reach Blue Bell Pass (6475 ft), then Crown Point and Pickhandle Gap. (At Pickhandle Gap, there's a trail to the left signed Fog City No. 967A. This is a 1-mile, supposedly scenic detour that connects with Trail No. 967, which leads to Bear Gap. I didn't take the scenic bypass today, as the trail seemed to be living up to its name, Fog City.) Instead, I continued along the PCT to Bear Gap. Here it got a little confusing to me. The hiking guides will say there's a 4-way trail junction but there's actually a 5-way junction. As you approach Bear Gap, straight ahead is PCT-Southbound and to your left is Trail No. 967 (from that previous scenic detour). Immediately to your right is unsigned Trail No. 1192, Silver Creek, which takes you directly back to the resort; the second-to next trail to your right is vaguely signed both No. 1163 and Lower Hen Skin Lake Trail, and takes you down to Hen Skin Lake. (Note: there is a knocked-down trail sign here, but it's hard to tell where the arrows are pointing because everything is faded.) I made the mistake of taking the immediate right fork and managed to skip Hen Skin Lake altogether, although my plan had been to take No. 1163 down to the lake (0.7 miles away), and then connect with No. 1192. In any case, it all comes together at the end, where you'll cross under a ski lift and go over a wooden bridge, eventually coming out onto a dirt service road. Although the scenery left something to be desired, Daphne loved this service road because she could run beside me splashing in the little creek that parallels the road. You'll eventually reach a crossroad where you see that Parking Lot C sign again. Turn left back onto the rough old service road you started out on and voila, you're back in the parking lot. And as a glorious aside, let me note that this was my first completely DEET-free, bug-free hike of the summer--yippee!! DISTANCE: 6.4 miles TOTAL TIME: 3 hours ELEVATION GAIN: 1900 ft, starting from the parking lot (4400-6300 ft) MAP: Green Trails No. 271, Bumping Lake PERMITS: Northwest Forest Pass DIRECTIONS: From Enumclaw, drive east on SR 410 for 34 miles. Turn left onto Crystal Mountain Road (FR 7190) and drive 5 miles to the end of the road at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. Park on the left (east)side of the lot closest to the resort. (Alternatively, you could park on one of those service roads you pass and save yourself 400 ft of climbing. For that you'd drive 4.1 miles down FR 7190 and find unsigned gravel road No. 7190410 on your left, which takes you directly to the Bullion Basin trailhead several miles down. There are 5 parking spaces on the road shoulder at the trailhead and you'll know you're there when you see the sign that says "Parking Lot C.") Day hike
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The ridge south of Norse Peak is in high open country, traversing across steep slopes with unobstructed views for many...
The ridge south of Norse Peak is in high open country, traversing across steep slopes with unobstructed views for many miles. We did a 9-mile loop, starting near the Crystal Mountain parking lot (4820’), climbing up to the Pacific Crest Trail (6100’) via Bullion Basin, north to Scout Pass (6560’), then back south through Bullion Pass (6140’), Blue Bell Pass (6360’), the Crown Point traverse, and Bear Gap (5900’), finally dropping off the PCT back to the car.
You can drive the dirt road that leaves main road in section 13; park at the first or second switchback depending on whether you want to climb extra at beginning or end of hike. The road is used actively by people staying at the chalets above the ski lift in section 37. The only part of the trail all day that was heavily eroded by horses was the steep portions in Bullion Basin. The basin meadow was green and untrampled. Dust was reported previously but not a problem today, probably due to the morning dampness still on the ground. The Bullion Basin trail is probably mud in the rain. Once on the PCT there were no problems. This Tuesday we saw only two small parties—one was riding mountain bikes! There were very few flies and berries as well, both only near the trailhead. The flower color was sparse although bushes were starting to turn red. We heard some elk bugling on the west side of Scout pass and saw a marmot near Pickhandle Basin, but the highlight was goats at Scout Pass. During lunch, 13 came running across the pass from north to south and traversed below us on the way to the ridge separating Cement Basin and Lake Basin. About 10 minutes later we noticed a congregation of 48 goats on that ridge! Obviously, some had come from other directions. They were relaxing along the ridge. In case you’re wondering, you cannot see Basin Lake from Scout Pass; the bowl below the pass is open but then drops quickly to the lake. From the pass you can see the Mt. Stuart range. Norse Peak blocks most of the view north. It wouldn’t be hard to walk up Norse Peak for more views if you’ve got an extra 30-45? minutes (each way). Back at Bullion Pass, another report mentions a way trail descending the east side. We saw that it casually traverses over towards Cement Basin instead of dropping quickly to the main trail below the pass. Yet another report talks about unsafe gulley crossings on that Cement Basin trail. The gulleys start at the top of the ridge--Blue Bell Pass--and are V-shaped gouges filled with loose rock. You have a good view of Mt. Adams from Crown Point; it’s visible in spots from the PCT north of Bullion Pass as well. We might have seen Mt. St. Helens from Crown Point but it’s not very prominent. You then descend to Pickhandle Gap, which looks razor thin from the north. Don’t worry, it’s safe. All these passes/gaps have good views except for Bear Gap. Of course, Mt. Rainier dominated the skyline. The PCT trail is incorrectly mapped in my TOPO! software v4.5. At Pickhandle Ridge, it does not descend to a mine before switchbacking to Bear Gap. Instead, the PCT contours around the ridge, dropping slowly to the gap. The red trail from Bear Gap to the mine is actually the trail descending into the valley. Note that the last 1/4 mile stretch of “trail”, called the Silver Creek trail in other reports (and signed that way where you cross the ski lift), is actually an old road grade between the real dirt road and the ski lift. There are signs along the real road indicating the trails. |
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