We were camping in Lake Wenatchee State Park, using that as our base to hike in the nearby mountains. Choosing a hike required balancing our drive for great alpine views against the ever-present threat of being emersed in the shifting smoke plume from the Nason Ridge fire. We had chosen poorly two days prior on our hike to Rock Mountain, where we found the air smokey and the views to the north totally obscured by smoke. After checking the weather reports and wind direction, I decided to head northwest of the fire for today’s hike and chose the Irving Pass approach to Poe Mountain. This time I chose wisely. The air was clear, and as a bonus, we had a great view of the Nason Creek fire across the Wenatchee River Valley to the southeast (see photo). The smoke did obscure the views to the southeast, but otherwise, the air quality was good and the views were superb.
The road up to the trailhead is in good shape and should be no problem for most cars. The junction of the 6504 with the 6500 is poorly signed and easy to miss. It is a right fork going uphill, and is the largest turn-off to the right along the 6500. A stop sign at the junction alerts you to the road. As you ascend on the 6504 it becomes progressively narrower and brushier, and eventually becomes one lane with turn-offs. Fortunately, we encountered no one coming the other way on the way in or out.
We reached the trailhead at 10:30 and found one other car there. It belonged to a group of four women who had started shortly before we got there. We caught up to them at the top, and they were the only other people on the trail all day.
The trail itself is somewhat challenging. As the WTA description says, it “hikes harder than it reads”. It winds steeply up to the ridge and then keeps climbing steeply along the ridge, winding around trees and fallen logs. The tread is generally good, although it becomes quite rocky and rooty after it enters the Glacier Peak Wilderness. A number of large logs are lying across the path and have to be scrambled over or detoured around. The tricky bit around the rocky knob was not a problem for us or for our dog, but it does require a bit of careful climbing.
After negotiating the rocky knob, the trail emerged from the trees and opened up along the ridge. There it became a truly pleasurable hike. The views to the south and west were stunning, and we could easily see Mt Rainier’s glaciated peak rising over the Cascade Crest. To the north, the Cougar Creek Valley was a kaleidoscope of fall colors, from rich green at the bottom to reds, oranges and yellows in the alpine and subalpine swathes. Similar colors lined the Wenatchee Ridge and framed the view of Glacier Peak when it finally emerged as we rounded the last bend up to the peak (see photo).
The site of the old fire lookout at the top provides a lovely flat area for lounging, and the views were wonderful all around. We lingered for over an hour just enjoying the scenery. When we finally headed back down, we picked some of the ripe huckleberries along the trail for snacking. The crop seems to have been great this year, but some of the berries are already shriveling or have started to ferment on the bushes. Sadly, the time for picking is almost over.
Overall, this was a short, very pleasant hike to a striking lookout, with only a few challenges on the trail along the way. We would be happy to do it again in the non-smoke season for even better views.
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