"I would definitely recommend this trip to a friend."
Pavement all the way to Salmon La Sac, then about one mile semi-rough unpaved road to trailhead. The trail starts in virgin timber (which is owned by a timber company; there was plenty of surveying ribbon - not good news).
The trail swichbacks over 3900 verticle feet following the ridge crest, first on the east side and then on the west where the views really start. Along the way the hiker is treated to some fine examples of dryland forests from the Cle Elum River to the 6000'+ Davis peak.
Snow caused me to miss traverse of the basin at the top and continue to follow the ridgeline (and I wasn't the only one). This however leads to a knife-edge traverse which would be too dangerous.
Instead I opted for a class 4 scamble off the ridge amd into the bowl and then up to the peak where I was treated to a 360 degree view of the Cascades. The Cascade crest from Chickamin to Mount Hinman were particularly crisp. Closer in was a view of opal lake, sapphire lined snow covered lake on a small glacier polished rock shelf with gnarled trees. Snow made for some route finding challenges, but other than that this was a fairly safe hike.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. Any trail can become very dangerous in winter conditions. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions. Please read Terms of Use.