White Mountain via Kettle Crest Trail South, Snow Peak, Barnaby Buttes & Kettle Crest South — Friday, Jun. 3, 2016

Eastern Washington > Okanogan Highlands/Kettle River Range

Starting from Sherman Pass and after heading out on the Sherman Peak Loop, I went off trail up Snow Peak from its North ridge, avoiding snow due to it being overly soft. Nice meadows and views at the top of Snow Peak. Found that descending the grass slope on the West side of Snow Peak was quite a bit easier going than the North Ridge. White Mountain had decent views as well, especially from the ridge before the summit (particularly of Barnaby Buttes). I thought the short side trip up Barnaby Buttes on the way back was worth it, beautiful open grass slopes. As for trail conditions, the Sherman Peak loop has only a few snow patches left and some minor fallen trees, all easy to pass. South of the loop there are quite a few more blowdowns, but still none difficult to pass. The trail is well defined and most trail junctions are well-signed. Saw only three people, by chance all of them south of the loop.