Rather than following the directions in the WTA Trail Guide, we hiked Monte Carlo by the Penny Ridge route on Washington DNR land. This route cut out elevation gain and delivered wildflowers and views from the very start.
From SR 14, go north on SR 141 to the signed turnoff for Northwestern Park. Follow the paved road for about a mile across the White Salmon River to a junction where the Nestor Peak Road goes left and Road B1000 (Buck Creek) goes straight ahead. Continue on the B1000 about four miles to a junction on the right with B1300. Turn right and climb to McIlroy Saddle. You can park here and hike up Penny Ridge on the Buck Creek Trail or, if you have a good map and driving sense, you can continue another few miles to where the unsigned B10 spur road goes left. This road requires high clearance to cross about a half dozen water bars. Park where the spur road makes a 90 degree right turn and intersects the Buck Creek Trail.
Swaths of blooming wildflowers greeted us as soon as we stepped out of the car. Penny Ridge is in the transition zone between east and west Cascades with both Oregon white oak woodlands and Douglas-fir forests and flower species that reflect both dry and wet habitats.
We hiked up the jeep track, which keeps to the Penny Ridge crest with meadows and oaks to the left and mixed forest to the right, with occasional views across the head of the Buck Creek drainage to Nestor Peak and Timberhead Mountain. A few large, old growth Douglas-firs shaded the way. At a Y-intersection, we turned left onto a mountain bike track on a former jeep track and ascended steeply to gain the ridge crest. The trail undulated along the ridge through second growth forest to reach the Monte Carlo Trail 52 - Buck Creek Trail junction, where the Monte Carlo Trail ascended from the Little White Salmon valley.
After a lunch break, we walked the mile-long Monte Carlo ridge crest through woodlands and meadows filled with blooming wildflowers and busy pollinators. At one meadow, at the top of some cliffs and talus slope, we enjoyed views across the Little White Salmon valley to Little Huckleberry Mountain at the west end of the Monte Cristo range and the high points on the spine of Indian Heaven. On a less cloudy day, we might have been able to see Mount St. Helens.
At the northern-most meadow, Mount Adams was visible above neighboring Monte Cristo peak, but its summit was obscured by clouds. At the far end of the meadow, a series of cairns showed the descent to a saddle between Monte Carlo and Monte Cristo. We made this our turn-around point.
I did not brig a GPS but I estimate our hiking mileage between 5-6 miles and about 1,000 feet elevation gain.
The best map to use to find this hike is the DNR's Buck Creek Trail System and Vicinity Map. https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/eng_rms_buck_ck_all.pdf
The link to the plant list for this hike is below.
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