Super scary rockfall on Sauk Mountain today. We were about 2/3 up when we heard people near the top yelling “ROCK!!” We were on the north end of the switchback and we could see all of those on the south end of each switchback were in a dangerous path of a bigger-than-bowling-ball jagged rock flying down the mountain. It picked up momentum as everyone was now yelling “ROCK” and went over the heads of some hikers who didn’t seem to notice it. It could have been a killer. I presume it got knocked loose when someone stepped aside to let others pass and hate to think it was thrown on purpose or knocked down by someone cutting a switchback. It was shocking to see it bounce and fly through the air. So grateful no one was hurt.
This trail is one of my favorites. I really hope it will get some attention to block the shortcuts and shore up the erosion.
The road has potholes, rocks and ruts. It also has long smooth stretches. Drive with care and park at the last hairpin turn if you’re worried about clearance. The outhouse is BAD. I recommend avoiding it if you can.
Started out cloudy and cool which was nice for the up hill hike. Fortunately on the way down the sun came out and along with that, the butterflies. A little snow that felt solid in the center and plenty of mosquitoes on top. I put on some bug spray and only got a few bites. Quite a few marmots today. We heard grouse but didn’t see them.
Trip Report
Sauk Mountain — Saturday, Jul. 19, 2025
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
Type of Hike
Day hikeTrail Conditions
Minor obstacles posing few problemsRoad
Road rough but passableBugs
Bugs were not too badSnow
Snow free
Comments
Maddy on Sauk Mountain
Yikes!
Posted by:
Maddy on Jul 19, 2025 10:29 PM
DK1998 on Sauk Mountain
That happened to me once on Table Mountain. I was coming down, slipped, and dislodged some rocks which went tumbling down. Fortunately nobody was in the path. Not much you can do about it except be aware of your surroundings and listen for any noises or people shouting. In other words, leave the ear buds at home.
Posted by:
DK1998 on Jul 20, 2025 08:35 AM
wafflesnfalafel on Sauk Mountain
Yikes - but good folks were proactive and yelling verbal warnings. Super nice pics too.
Posted by:
wafflesnfalafel on Jul 20, 2025 02:01 PM
Pete R on Sauk Mountain
I must've seen you at some point. I heard a group that almost got hit talking nervously about it as they passed me going up. It was very scary, but what can you do when people are just shouting "rock" in all directions. Put your hands over your head? I wouldn't know what to do. I agree that in this case it was probably just someone who stepped near an eroded edge--there are getting to be a lot of them here. I did see someone trying to do a "parkour" jump off a rock dislodge it and almost kill someone on the next switchback down, on the Lake Serene trail a few years back.
Posted by:
Pete R on Jul 21, 2025 02:18 PM
hikingwithlittledogs on Sauk Mountain
That Parkour must have been crazy! I thought about it a lot after the rock incident. What would I do and what could we have yelled instead. I thought “avalanche, take cover” might have been better but I’m not sure one big rock counts as an avalanche. If I was in the path I might have tried to first run or at least duck and protect my head. It was crazy to see how high the rock was bouncing and flying all the way down the slope. Alls well that ends well.
Posted by:
hikingwithlittledogs on Jul 21, 2025 07:07 PM