Sauk Mountain via trail

This trip starts in the parking area at the end of the Sauk Mountain Road, where the views are better than many summits I've been on. From the parking area the trail heads across a meadow and stays in open fields for most of the hike. Much of the time it switchbacks up an open, west-facing slope. Once the trail gains the east ridge of Sauk Mountain, the views get even better.

The summit of Sauk Mountain is about 8 rocky crags, the trail leads to a middle crag with the last remnants of a structure on top. This is not the true summit of Sauk Mountain but the views are very good.

The true summit is the fourth crag from the north. It is a scramble to reach this summit, first traversing on talus to get below the col south of the summit, then scrambling up to the col on steep heather and a little rock. On my ascent I took a short 3rd/4th class chimney (on my descent I bypassed the chimney by staying 20 feet further to the north, it was much better this way). I was relieved to find the survey marker when I reached the summit, until then I wasn't sure if this summit or the next summit to the north was higher.

Date:

2006/09/24

Elevation gain:

1,145 feet

Trip type:

scramble/hike

USGS quad:

Sauk Mountain

Car-to-car:

2 hours 13 minutes

1 hour 5 minutes ascending from Sauk Mountain trailhead to summit of Sauk Mountain
51 minutes descending from summit of Sauk Mountain to Sauk Mountain trailhead
2 hours 26 minutes driving back from Sauk Mountain trailhead to Lower Queen Anne

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