The Sawtooth Mountain Trail #107 is a scenic detour for the PCT at the northern end of the Indian Heaven Wilderness. The trail offers some spectacular views of Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens. A moderate day hike can be made of this hike by accessing the PCT where it crosses the 24 Road in the Sawtooth Huckleberry Fields. After obtaining a wilderness permit at the information sign board, begin hiking south on the PCT through the Huckleberry fields; which soon give way to Fir Forest. Continue south to the Northern junction of the Sawtooth Mountain Trail #107. You can begin the climb here or continue south on the PCT to the Southern junction. The trailhead at the South end, at approximately 2 miles, is a little obscure, as the trail takes off at an acute angle from the PCT and the sign is parallel to the trail, so keep an eye out. The climb at either end is moderate, but I have always enjoyed the South side climb more. There are great views of Mt Adams going up the South side, and the decent on the North end is a little easier on the knees. Once you have crested, the trail traverses the Western slope just below the summit offering good views of St Helens. The trail is in need of maintenance but there are no major obstacles. One of the things I have always enjoyed about this hike is the solitude, as this trail appears to be used infrequently, and if it is done around the middle of August the Huckleberries are ripe. It is also the time of year when PCT thru hikers are going though this area, and I always enjoy hearing about their hike. To get to the trailhead, take the Carson exit off SR14 and follow the highway north through town. This is the Wind River Highway (FSR 30 Road). Stay on the 30 Road to the junction with the 24 Road (approx 37 miles). Turn right at the junction and proceed uphill to the crossing of the PCT.

Day 2 of my weekend in Indian Heaven with my friend, Ari. As we both had to make a 4-hour drive home on this day, we opted for a shorter hike (than the previous day's trip to Lake Wapiki) and a short car shuttle. We also got on the trail early - well, early for me anyway....about 9:30 AM. We headed up the Cultus Creek trail through the woods, following lots and lots of elk tracks along the way. We didn't see any poop, but it seemed that we couldn't go 20 steps without crossing a game trail. Anyway, on up the trail with the sound of the trees blowing in a strong wind on a clear day until after about 1-2 miles we came to a junction with the PCT. We took a right and headed up along the PCT and the Sawtooth Trail. We ate a nice lunch below Sawtooth Mountain (Or is it a Peak? And how can you tell the difference? Or, who cares?) and watched a hawk for a while overhead. As was the case on Saturday, Mt. Adams was beautiful in the sun nearby. It was still cool though - and the wind did not let up. We headed on up the mountain after lunch and took a side trail to the summit. I'm a chicken, so I didn't make the last 15' to the top. Ari said the view was no big deal after he came down, but I doubt it. He was ""oohing"" and ""aahing"" the whole time he was up there! Back on the trail we wandered along the ridge and eventually caught back up with the PCT in the woods. From there it was another mile and a half of forested strolling until we hit the berry fields once again near Road 24. Despite the need to get back home, I'm glad were were able to spend a good 4-5 hours on these trails. My wife and I visited this area 8 years ago on a foggy and wet weekend. I had no idea what kinds of scenery I wasn't seeing during that trip. I hope it doesn't take me another 8 years to make it back there.

This hike was my first introduction into the Indian Heaven Wilderness. We were camped at Cultus Creek CG, that makes a great basecamp for dayhiking, berrypicking and sightseeing in the area. We hiked up the steep, dusty and rocky Cultus Creek Trail over the shoulder of Bird Mountain to meet the PCT. First, though, we dropped down the Wood Lake Trail to check out the lake. There was a nice camp located near a tarn on the way down. We didn't see any real camps at Wood Lake, but other hikers told us there are at least two located there. We climbed back up to the PCT and ran it north. This trail is very well maintained and easy hiking, mostly traversing. No water is available on it unless you drop down to a lake. For lunch, we took the Sawtooth Mountain Trail and found a rocky spot to view Mt. Adams. Only problem was the numerous small and large wildfires contributing to smoky skies. We did find a nice cache of blueberries to pick. We finished up the hike by looping over Sawtooth (awesome views of St Helens and Rainier on a clear day!) down to the PCT, running south and down the Cultus Creek Trail to the CG. Sawtooth appears to be an ancient lava plug. There was lots of pumice on its dry eastern slopes and some interesting basaltic formations on its ragged crown. The Sawtooth Trail was skimpy in a couple of places but easy to follow. You can access this trail from Road 24 and the PCT from the north.